The din of brisk fishing activity greets anyone who ventures onto the landing beach at Jamestown the Greater Accra Region and in coastal regions all over Ghana.

The fishermen haul nets with fish from the boats, while the women take up the sale of fish from January to December.

But not so in July, when the beaches are deserted and safe from the rolling waves, when not much is going on because the accepted one-month closed season comes off while placing a ban on fishing activities.

Indeed, the closed season observation is part of Ghana’s Sustainable Fisheries Management to help salvage the country’s depleting fish stock which will not only benefit the State but the fisher folks by providing a sustainable ocean for them.

During the closed season, children loiter on the beach, fishermen idle around, and some play draft to pass the time because fishing is their only source of livelihood. And with no alternative work at home, money is scarce, and conflict ensues as mothers and children demand basic needs.

Without the routine fish business in the fishing communities, life becomes tough, provision of bread and butter a ‘world war’. The life of artisanal fishermen stops during closed season as they wait for the ban to be lifted after a month.