Hawa Koomson Wages War Against Premix Fuel Hijackers As She Opens Merine Fishing Season
The Minster Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mrs Mavis Hawa Koomson, has vowed deal with those who are found of hijacking and hoarding premix fuel products and selling the products at the exorbitant prices to the fishers and residents in coastal and inland communities in the country.
Freeman Koryekpor Awlesu Greater 
The Minster Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mrs. Mavis Hawa Koomson, has vowed to deal with those who are fond of hijacking and hoarding premix fuel products and selling the products at exorbitant prices to the fishers and residents in coastal and inland communities in the country.
"The government is doing all that it can to give the fishermen the premix fuel to go to sea but when the government brings the fuel then some people have taken the fuel to their rooms and making it difficult for people to get some but this all is going to stop in this very August while they are about to start the automation," Mrs. Koomson who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East Constituency in the Central Region noted.
Addressing the chiefs, fishers, and key stakeholders in the fishing industry on the occasion of the opening of the marine fishing season at the occasion held at Etiam in the Ekumfi District, Mrs. Koomson stated her ministry has begun the process of automating the distribution system of premix fuel to stop diversion and hoarding of the product.
The term “closed season” also known as “biological rest period”, refers to the stopping of fishing activities during the spawning period of the stocks.
Closed seasons are observed as a way of reducing fishing pressure on stocks when they are most productive, in terms of allowing the fish a chance to lay their eggs to replace the lost population due to fishing and other natural causes.
Globally, closed seasons are considered one of the key fisheries management procedures to help protect fish stocks and also increase their population.
According to the Sector Minister, the National Premix Fuel Secretariat (NPFS) has taken steps that she said, “have brought about a decline in the diversion of premix fuel”.
She also disclosed that NPFS is collaborating with the National Petroleum Authority to install tracking devices on trucks that supply premix fuel to the landing beaches.
Mincing no words she indicated that since the government has opened the marine fishing season the Ministry will be supplying premix fuel to the landing beach, assuring her outfit would ensure allocation of premix fuel to the Coastal Landing Beach Committees.
On the issue of the closed fishing season, she noted that "for fishermen, fish mongers and the citizens of Ghana to get more fish to eat and eat best fishers, the government together with the fishing ministry introduce close season to be done on every July first (1) and open in August first(1) for the fishermen to go to the sea for fishing.
