Bigger Fish to Fry
Curbing illegal fishing in Ghana for food security and biodiversity
When she was a little girl, Peace Gavor often watched her mother carefully tend to fish smoking on the fire. The art of smoking fish was passed down to her from her mother, who learned it from her grandmother in the Volta region of Ghana.
Peace and her mother smoke small pelagic fish like sardinella and mackerel, which spawn in the tropical waters off the shores of West Africa.
These fisheries have played a vital role in the livelihoods of millions of people and bolstered food security for many in the West African nation. The fish, dried or fresh, form a critical part of the everyday diet for Ghana’s coastal and inland communities, particularly in northern Ghana, where malnutrition and poverty remain priority issues.
Today, Ghana’s seas tell a different story, one wrought with overfishing and illegal tactics to pursue the last remaining stocks of fish. Weak enforcement of fisheries regulations has worsened the situation, and coastal communities who contend with poverty and food insecurity face an uncertain future.
Peace owns a fish processing center with eight kilns on Ghana’s western coast, but she is getting less fish to smoke and dry.
“We used to smoke fish from morning to night because there were so many fish,” Peace said. “Now, the fish are not plentiful. The fishermen are desperate, and we have many issues.”
Peace is not alone. Ghana’s small pelagic fish stocks have declined drastically. National studies show that artisanal catches of small pelagic fish have dropped to 41% of highest recorded landings, with some species such as sardinella hovering at 9% — dangerously close to a level indicative of fisheries collapse.
The health of Ghana’s fisheries is critical to maintaining economic opportunity and food security for Ghanaian fishers and coastal communities, as well as conserving coastal and marine biological diversity.
Along Ghana’s coast, industrial trawlers compete with local fishers for scarce fish. Some have been documented illegally fishing within Ghana’s Inshore Exclusive Zone, which is designated for local fishers only, and harvesting small pelagic fish, despite being licensed to only catch snappers, groupers, and other bottom-dwelling fish. The majority of these vessels are owned by Chinese interests through opaque ownership arrangements.
According to a report by the Environmental Justice Foundation, illegal fishing by trawl vessels deprived Ghana’s artisanal fishers of about 100,000 tonnes of small pelagic fish in 2017.
“All [these trawlers] want is profit at the expense of the environment. To get this, they are willing to bend rules and circumvent regulations where it suits them. The latest ministerial directive on the use of fishing gear by industrial trawlers is helping us to enforce regulations.”
— Paul Bannerman, Deputy Executive Director of Ghana’s Fisheries Commission
The Government of Ghana issued a ministerial directive to end the use of illegal fishing nets and other gear used to catch small pelagic fish. It is part of a broader strategy to replenish Ghana’s fisheries through better management.
USAID is supporting the implementation of the directive, which went into force last month, as part of the Feed the Future Ghana Fisheries Recovery Activity. The project reflects the Biden Administration’s policy to address the problem of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and associated labor abuses around the world.
Today, most of Ghana’s 90 registered trawlers are still at port, waiting to pass gear inspections, get licensed, and receive a green light to fish.
“The ministerial directive doesn’t only demonstrate the government’s commitment to enforcing the laws, but also gives us hope that we can recover our depleted fish stocks. Ending illegal activities by these Chinese trawlers will also encourage us Ghanaian fishers to do the right thing.”
— Mike Abaka-Edu, a fisher in the western region of Ghana
Ghana is making strides in managing its fishery operations despite the many challenges confronting the sector. USAID is committed to supporting the Ghanaian Government’s efforts to counter illegal fishing and ensure food security.
Regulating the activities of foreign industrial trawl fleets offers a sustainable future for fishers like Mike, fish processors like Peace, and the millions of Ghanaians who depend on the fishery for their nutrition and livelihood, as well as biodiversity conservation.
About the Authors
Nicholas Parkinson is a Communication Specialist with Tetra Tech ARD, and Perfectual Labik is the Communication, and Social and Behavior Change Communication Specialist for the Ghana Fisheries Recovery Activity.
