Ghana’s once vibrant and flourishing fishing industry dating back to the days of the famous State Fishing Corporation, is today a pale shadow of its former glory.
In 2020, fishing in Ghana contributed close to GH¢1.6 billion or about $ 263.2 million to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP) where artisanal fishing is the most critical subsector in terms of its contribution to production and local fish supply as well as contributing to approximately 70 to 80 per cent of the total annual marine fish landings according the FAO 2022 report.
Today unfortunately, the country’s fish stocks continue to decline by the day due to a multiplicity of factors ranging from Illegal Unregulated Unreported (IUU) activities to Climate Change to the extent that fishermen who sometimes spent as much as 72 hours on perilous fishing expedition on the seas anticipating a healthy bumper catch have their high expectation dashed due to the small quantity of fish they would return home which only allow them to feed their families and not to make sales and gain some income.
One major factor responsible for the unfortunate situation is attributable to high temperatures at sea due to climate change.
According to popular belief among the fishers, the warm temperatures is the cause of many fishes seeking refuge in cooler part of the sea which is further offshore and often off limit to artisanal fishermen due to the limited capacity of their fishing craft.
The unusual weather pattern where suddenly the sea becomes extremely rough coupled with heavy downpour results in fruitless expedition after having spent so much money on premix fuel to power the boat engines.
The warm temperatures as a result of climate change, according to the fishers, had resulted in the fish stock not been able to reproduce as expected, compelling them to deploy the use of unapproved fishing gears to scoop smaller fishes which is also affecting the fish population in the fishing area.