Fishermen,Fishmongers and the Fish.

While we are on with our next topic…I enjoyed my time at the Jamestown Beach with the coastal folks. It was very interesting to know from a fisherman that..”one who went on board in attempt to fish,but came back with no fish can never be called a Fishermen’’. I found this assertion relative.  Do doctors save life's everyday? Certainly not.

   Today's topic as mentioned above centers on the fish. Who goes for the fish, the wholesalers and retailers, the semi-final state of the fish  before it reaches consumers. Whiles the Fisherman's friend is the Fishing Net..I have no doubt that the Fishing Net becomes the enemy of Fishes.

SMOKED FISHES

In Ghana Fishermen are known for an aggressive nature. The ‘fishermen fellowship’, a term I coined at  the beautiful sight of seeing fishermen drawing their canoon on-shore. Most fishermen lend a helping hand, sing their favorite ‘morale-chorus’ in pulling and pushing the canoon on-shore. To me it was a very amazing sight…so I ended up capturing this scene. I simply admired the strength   of the older fishermen.

                                                THE  'FISHERMEN FELLOWSHIP'.

A woman who sold fishes caught by her husband was called a Fishwife. Fishmongers are people who sell raw fish and seafood. Fishmongers simply work at selecting and purchasing,handling,gutting,bonding, displaying, merchandising and selling their product. Just as every profession comes with ethics…it is nothing different in the fishmongers world. Fishmongers use tools like the, Pliers to pull out bones,a fish scaler to remove scales,  a Filleting knife to get rid of flesh from the bones, protective gloves, a curved knife for gutting and removing and a short strong knife for opening oysters and other shellfish. Quiet recently, the fisheries Ministry in Ghana conceded that the countries fisheries sub-sector is in crisis following what officials are describing as ‘Over-Fishing’. The Ministry warned that without a drastic change of attitude in the sector, the dwindling fortunes  of the industry will continue. The fishing sub-sector, according to statistics, has the lowest growth rate in the Agriculture Sector in Ghana even though it improved from 2.8percent in 2002 to 3.5percent in 2004. As at Thursday,26^th Sept 2013, from an interview with a fishmonger in Jamestown, she expressed bitter concerns in relation to the ‘depletion’ of fishes in Jamestown and how she has to go to Tema Fishing Harbor for fishes.

                                  INTERVIEW WITH A FISHMONGER.

 

I plead with any reader who is capable of improving the state of the current fishing sub-sector of the country to do so.