Ghana will from February 1, 2017, close its sea to fishing for two months.

During the two-month ban, Ghana would have to rely on fish imports and aquaculture to satisfy the market.

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The Fisheries Commission has announced that anyone who violates the directive will pay a fine ranging from US$ 500,000 to US$ 2 million as well as forfeit their catch, fishing gear or vessel to the state.

The Deputy Director for Monitoring, Control and Surveillance at the Fisheries Commission, Godfred Baidoo Tsibu said that the directive was reached following a scientific assessment which revealed that the country’s fish stock is dwindling year on year.

“We are not allowing them to fish so that the stock they fish can be free to reproduce,” he told Accra-based Starr FM.

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Fishermen have often complained about a decline in their catch after long hours on the sea.

They usually attribute this to improper fishing methods and nets which do not spare fingerlings.

But Mr Tsibu is optimistic that the two-month ban “is a long period and can do a lot for reproduction.”

The Control and Surveillance at the Fisheries Commission, Navy, Marine Police and the Fisheries Enforcement Unit will conduct regular patrols on Ghana’s waters to ensure adherence to the directive.

The directive will be implemented annually by the Ghana Fisheries Management Plan till 2019.