Ghana on verge of importing fish stock for consumption

Ghana is on the verge of becoming dependent on imported fish stock for consumption, if nothing substantial is done to slow the rate at which the country’s fish supply is depleting.

Ghana’s overexploitation of the fish stock and unhealthy fishing practices will soon force the country to rely solely on fish imports to meet its protein needs, according to Dr. Kamal-Deen Ali, Executive Director of the Centre for Maritime Law and Security (CEMLAWS).

“We are approaching the point, where we will be importing fish entirely for consumption,” he said during a one-day training session for journalists on dealing with the destabilizing effects of Distant Water Fishing Vessels (DWFV).

The training is part of the project “Promoting Local Capacity to Address the Destabilising Impacts of Foreign Vessels in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) and Mauritania,” which is supported by the US Department of State.

CEMLAWS and the Centre for Coastal Management (CMM) at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) are implementing the project in seven African countries.

He stated that there was a need for increased education about the effects of Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) activities, and the adoption of treatments to help rejuvenate and revitalise the stock.

According to Dr. Ali, the sea should be viewed as a container or bowl holding a quantity of fish that can be fully depleted if not replenished.

Dr. Isaac Okyere, Academic Coordinator for CMM, stated that Ghana’s fish stock was depleting due to overcapitalization, overcapacity, high fishing pressure, illegal fishing, the use of small meshes, fish transhipment, and the use of noxious and explosive materials.

According to Dr. Okyere, with a total of 9,951 canoes combining both motorized and non-motorized in 2014, fishermen made a catch volume of 254,200 metric tonnes, representing a 73.93 percent contribution to the country’s catch.

In 2019, the overall number of canoes grew to approximately 14,275, with the volume capture decreasing to 170,149 metric tonnes at 55.01 percent.
This, he noted, indicated a declining amount of fish in Ghana’s waters, as well as an excess of canoes at sea.

In terms of total capture volume for the period, he highlighted that while 343,800 metric tonnes were reported in 2014 statistics, 309,320 metric tonnes were documented in 2019.

He claimed that the statistics included catches from marine canoes, semi-industrial vessels, trawlers, tuna vessels, bait boats, and purse seine.

He emphasized the importance of reviving the stock because it directly and indirectly employed roughly 10 percent of the population, while the artisanal sector employs 92 percent of that proportion.

He said the sector accounted for between four and five percent of Ghana’s GDP.