The Engineer and General Manager of the Jamestown Fishing Harbour, Mr. Stephen Keame Owiah, said the facility was increasingly attracting fishermen from the Central and Western Regions, who preferred its sheltered environment for landing their canoes.

Speaking in an interview  Mr. Owiah said the harbour had significantly improved the working conditions of fishermen and fishmongers through the provision of a fish market, an ice-making plant and cold-storage facilities to support fish handling and preservation.

He noted that the facility was also creating employment opportunities for residents, particularly indigenous people engaged in operating the ice-making plant.

According to him, the harbour was established to provide safe landing and support facilities for fishermen while creating a more conducive trading environment for women engaged in the fish business.

He said the fish market offered fishmongers a cleaner and more organised space to conduct their activities compared with the beach and other previously used trading areas.

Mr. Owiah further disclosed that the harbour had provided a designated space where women could safely leave their toddlers while attending to their businesses.

He said the facility, which was commissioned about two years ago, had instituted regular maintenance measures to protect its infrastructure against the corrosive effects of the salty sea breeze.

However, he identified the accumulation of plastic waste in the northern section of the harbour as a major challenge affecting its operations.

He explained that winds frequently carried waste from a nearby quarry site into the facility, while the short breakwater allowed large quantities of plastic waste to enter the harbour.

The situation, he said, had restricted access for trawlers seeking repair services, although fishing canoes continued to operate at the facility without difficulty.

Mr. Owiah indicated that addressing the challenge would improve access to the ship repair yard and enable the harbour to accommodate a wider range of fishing vessels.

On fish preservation, he said the harbour's 60-metric-tonne ice-making facility had eliminated the need for fishermen and fishmongers in Jamestown to depend on