Ghana’s marine resources depletion: the battle against IUU and foreign invasion

At dawn, veteran fisherman Joseph Odonkor prepares his canoe for another day at sea, however, despite his decades of experience, each day brings a growing sense of dread as Ghana’s marine waters, once teeming with fish, are now alarmingly going barren.

Illegalities

The marine resource depletion, experts have blamed on a surge in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, mostly by Distance Water Fishing Vessels (industrial foreign vessels), operating under the radar, scoop up massive quantities of fish, leaving little behind for the local communities who depend on the ocean for survival.

The stakes are high as Ghana finds itself in a desperate fight to protect its marine resources before they disappear entirely, with the European Union (EU) in 2021 warning to issue Ghana a yellow card should the country consistently fail to tackle the menace of illegal fishing.

The ‘yellow card’ is an official warning issued by the EU to its trading partners falling short of tackling IUU fishing. It is a precursor to a red card, which will mean a total ban of seafood exports to the EU.

Deep Water Fishing Vessels (DWFVs)

The Fisheries Management Plan of Ghana (A National Policy for the Management of the Marine Fisheries Sector 2022-22026) indicates that industrial bottom trawlers are steel boats of up to 30m overall length.

The 2020 statistics from the Fisheries Commission indicated that there were 76 active vessels, contributing to an estimated annual catch of 37,507mt in 2019.

Mrs Mavis Hawa Koomson, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), however, stated in 2023 that out of the 76 registered trawl fishing vessels, only 30 were able to meet the gear specification and other seaworthy requirements for the renewal of their licenses to go to sea.

She said the gear specification directive was to prevent trawlers and tuna vessels from catching small pelagic fish and allow the juvenile fish to pass through the nets to help sustain the country’s depleting fish stocks.

IUU impact

Illegal fishing is fishing without authorisation or in violation of established laws, regulations, or fisheries management organisations; unreported fishing involves catch whose product has not been reported or misreported to the competent authorities; and unregulated fishing involves a vessel without a nationality with a false nationality. 

A report by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) reveals that Ghana misses out on between $14.4 million and $23.7 million annually in fishing license fees and fines from trawlers, as about 90 percent of the Ghanaian trawl fleet is owned by Chinese corporations that use local ‘front’ companies to register as Ghanaian, circumventing the law.

Fish stocks in Ghanaian waters have been severely depleted due to overfishing, as stated by Mr. Jens Otto Krakstad, a senior researcher with the Institute of Marine Research in Norway and cruise leader for the research vessel Dr. Fridtjof Nansen.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), fish stocks within the Gulf of Guinea region have declined by over 50 percent in the last 30 years, with Ghana’s marine fish catch depleting from 420,000 tonnes in 1996 to just over 200,000 tonnes in recent years, which is particularly pronounced in small pelagic species, such as sardinella, decreasing by 86 percent between 1990 and 2020, pushing artisanal fishing to the brink of collapse.

DWFVs, particularly those from China and the European Union, have been found to be exploiting Ghanaian waters, using unsustainable practices including bottom trawling, capturing enormous quantities of fish, and destroying marine habitats, and responsible for about 60 percent of the total fish catch in Ghana’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

It is estimated that Ghana loses about $50 million annually due to IUU fishing activities impacting the artisanal fishing sector, which employs over two million Ghanaians directly and indirectly.

In Tema Newtown, for instance, many fishers report a reduction in daily catch by up to 75 percent over the past decade, drastically affecting their income and livelihoods.

As many local fishers lack access to the necessary resources, such as modern fishing gear, cold storage facilities, and reliable markets, to compete effectively with the DWFVs, it limits their capacity to improve productivity and income, further marginalising them within the fishing industry.

It also impacts Ghana’s revenue through uncollected taxes, reduced fish exports, and the decline of the artisanal fishing sector, which is a vital part of Ghana’s economy and exacerbates poverty in coastal communities, contributing to social instability.

Environment

Environmentally, the indiscriminate fishing practices of some DWFVs, including the use of destructive fishing gear like bottom trawlers, have caused severe environmental degradation as they damage coral reefs, seagrass beds, and other critical marine habitats, which are essential for the reproduction and survival of various fish species. The degradation of these habitats threatens the sustainability of the fishing industry in Ghana.

IUU also impacts on women in the sector, as they play a crucial role in Ghana’s fishing industry, particularly in fish processing and trading.

However, the depletion of fish stocks has reduced fish availability, directly affecting their livelihoods.

Women who rely on fish smoking, drying, processing, and selling face lower incomes and increased financial instability.

The scarcity of fish also drives up prices, making it harder for them to sustain their businesses and support their families.

Nutrition

Nutrition is critical in the growth of children; however, children in Tema Newtown, a vibrant fishing community, faces severe acute malnutrition, popularly known as Kwashiorkor, with the Tema General Hospital recording 11 deaths due to malnutrition as mothers cannot afford the inflated cost of animal protein.

Fish is a vital source of nutrition for children in Ghana, providing essential proteins, omega-3 fatty acids, and micronutrients like iodine and zinc, which are crucial for growth and cognitive development.

According to MoFAD, fish contributes about 60 percent of the animal protein intake of Ghanaians, making it the cheapest and most accessible source of protein.

The decline in fish directly impacts children’s diets, as families in coastal communities’ struggle to provide adequate quantities of fish, leading to lower protein intake, which can result in malnutrition, stunted growth, and impaired cognitive development in children.

Fish price hikes can lead to decreased consumption of fish, which may result in a dietary shift towards less nutritious foods, contributing to a rise in non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes.

Fish consumption in Ghana is estimated at about 23 kg per capita per year, which is above the global average of 20 kg per capita.

However, with the depletion of fish stocks due to IUU fishing, maintaining this level of consumption becomes increasingly challenging.

Role of Civil Society Organisations

Civil society organisations (CSO) are crucial stakeholders in ensuring sustainable fisheries by holding the government and foreign fishing companies accountable and ensuring that the voices of local fishing communities are heard.

CSOs can do this by monitoring the activities of DWFVs and exposing cases of IUU fishing, working closely with local communities to gather data and evidence of illegal fishing practices, which can be used to advocate stricter regulations and enforcement.

CSOs can also empower local fishing communities by providing them with the tools and knowledge to understand and advocate their rights through training programmes and workshops to ensure sustainable fishing practices and effective engagement with policymakers.

CSOs can also continue being at the forefront of campaigns that call for greater transparency and accountability in the distant water fishing governance sector, public disclosure of fishing agreements, stricter licensing requirements, and the implementation of vessel tracking systems to monitor the activities of DWFVs, as these measures are essential for curbing IUU fishing and ensuring that foreign fishing operations are conducted in a manner that is sustainable and beneficial to local communities.

Conclusion

IUU fishing and the challenges posed by DWFVs do not only deplete fish stocks and harm the environment but also have profound social and economic consequences on women, children, fish processors, food vendors, the economy, and the general population as the availability of fish reduces.

Addressing IUU fishing is, therefore, of both environmental, social, health, and economic importance.

There must be a concerted effort by the government, in collaboration with international partners, to enhance transparency and accountability in the distant water fishing governance sector through the implementation of stricter regulations, enforcement of existing laws, and the inclusion of local communities in decision-making processes.

Ghana can protect its marine resources and safeguard the livelihoods of coastal communities by prioritising sustainable fishing practices and ensuring that foreign fishing operations are conducted responsibly.

By Laudia Sawer

Source: GNA

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