National Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing.

The objective of Ghana’s National Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (NPOA-IUU) is to lay out a plan of action that identifies existing gaps in relation to combating IUU fishing and to propose remedial steps to address these gaps. Ghana’s NPOA-IUU has been developed in accordance with the principles and provisions of the International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate IUU fishing and the IUU Regional Plan of Action developed by the Fisheries Committee of the West and Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC-RPOA-IUU).
The Plan is composed of the following Parts: A) IUU Fishing in the global and regional context; B) IUU Fishing in the Ghanaian context; C) Ghana’s IUU Fishing National Response Actions; Appendix 1, Definition of IUU fishing from IPOA-IUU; Appendix 2, Summary of Relevant International Binding Instruments; Appendix 3, Management Measures agreed under the FCWC Regional Plan of Action aimed at preventing, deterring and eliminating IUU Fishing.
The Plan aims to make fisheries more productive and sustainable. The objective is to ensure the sustainable development of the fisheries sector. Ghana’s fishing industry is considered to be characterized by change and innovation with respect to fishing vessels, fishing methods, fishing gears and fishing grounds. It is challenging for fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance mechanisms to keep up with these changes, especially for the many vessels comprising the trawl and canoe fleets.