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President Mahama has issued a stern warning to pair trawlers that they risk arrest because they are destroying the fishing industry.
âFor those who engage in light fishing and pair trawling, I have instructed the navy to try and arrest all of them,â he said.
He cautioned the fishermen not to beg for the release of anyone caught in illegal fishing because their actions are collapsing the fishing industry.
âWhen they are caught nobody should come to the Flagstaff House to plead on their behalf, president Mahama said. âI wonât listen because they are destroying the fishing industry. This is something I am taking very seriously. â
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His interaction with them forms part of his âAccounting to the Peopleâ tour of the Central Region.
His warning comes on the heels of a similar interaction between the fishermen and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo Addo.
The fishermen complained about the activities of pair trawlers and directly accused the vice president Amissah Arthur of importing 20 trawlers into the country.
âThe issue of pair trawlers is destroying the industry. I am reliably told that officialdom own most of these trawlers. Indeed, I can say for a fact that the Vice President is importing 20 trawlers into the country. Whilst we are struggling to rid our seas of pair trawlers, the Vice President is bringing in more. Over-fishing is what is destroying our seas and our fishing stocks,â The Chief fisherman of Aboadze, Nana Adams, told the NPP flagbearer.