President John Mills has admonished fishermen to eschew the blame game which he said does not help the ailing fishing industry. He has therefore charged stakeholders to work in unison to wrestle the industry from total collapse. “Without fishing we are losing a number of jobs. The fishing industry is crumbling. We are aware. Fishing stock has gone down. There are all kinds of reasons….” “…This is not the time to single out people for blame. Collectively, let’s find the way forward. What we have done is to seek the best interest of our fishermen,” he said. The president was speaking to a number of fisheries groups which paid a courtesy call on him at the Castle on Tuesday. Their visit follows an altercation between demonstrating fishermen and the police last week which resulted in a number of injuries on both sides. The fishing groups which sought audience with the president, included the National Inland Fishermen Council, Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Association, and Ghana Inshore Fishermen Association. The President of the National Canoe Fishermen Council, Flt. Lt. Tackie reiterated the many challenges plaguing the industry. He cited “pair trawling, light fishing [and] use of obnoxious chemicals which have combined in a very significant way to threaten the sustainability of our industry.” He said the government must put the requisite measures in place to ensure the sustainability of the industry. The president sympathized with the anxiety of the fishermen, assuring, the government, through the Fisheries Commission, is working feverishly to resolve the challenges facing the industry. The President, in reacting to a concern by Flt Lt Tackie directed the fishermen to arrest anybody who will use his name to collect money for pre-mix fuel. “If people come round to collect money from pre-mix, the first group you should arrest are those who hold themselves out as the president’s relatives. Check them first; put them before court and give them as much publicity as you can,” he admonished. Play the attached audio for excerpts of the president's comments. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana