Parliament has passed the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill, 2025, to enhance effective regulation of Ghana’s fisheries and aquaculture sector.

The purpose of the bill is to establish a modern legal framework to improve governance, development and sustainability within the sector, which plays a crucial role in the national economy.

The bill specifically seeks to review and consolidate laws related to the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources.

It also provides for the implementation of an Electronic Monitoring System to meet European Union and United States market requirements for legally sourced seafood.

Once assented to by the President, the bill will establish a Fisheries Commission to ensure the long-term conservation, development, management and utilisation of Ghana’s fisheries and aquaculture resources. It also introduces stricter penalties for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Ghana’s current legal framework, the Fisheries Act, 2002 (Act 625), is outdated and lacks provisions to effectively address IUU fishing and impose adequate penalties on offenders. Ghana was issued a “yellow card” by the European Commission in 2021 for failing to tackle IUU fishing adequately.

Failure to update the legal regime could result in a “red card”, which would trigger a ban on the export of fish and fishery products to the European market, potentially costing Ghana an estimated $425.9 million in lost revenue.

The bill was presented to Parliament by the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Emelia Arthur, on June 3, 2025, and was referred to the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs for consideration.