Ghana’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Elizabeth Naa Afoley Quaye, called for the eradication of illegal fishing operations that threatens the sustainability of the local fishing industry and the livelihoods of thousands of people in coastal communities.

The practice, known as “saiko fishing,” involves the over-fishing of certain fish stocks and also the illegal transfer of fish catches from small, so-called artisanal fishing vessels to foreign-owned trawlers, many controlled by Chinese entities, according to a 2019 report published by the UK-based NGO Environmental Justice Foundation and the Ghana-based organization Hen Mpoano.