ACCRA, Ghana — At an open shed along the coast of Bortianor in Accra, one can hear the chatter of market women who hang around the landing beach most mornings in hope of buying fish to trade as fishers pull their nets miles away to the shore.

“Sometimes, it takes as long as four hours to bring our nets ashore,” artisanal fisherman George Kowukumeh said. “And over the years, we have witnessed a drastic reduction in our catch.”

There are currently about 150 fishing canoes operating at the Bortianor landing beach according to industry experts.

In Ghana, the artisanal fishing sector directly employ over 200,000 fishers, delivering 80 percent of total fish supply locally and provides livelihood to over 2 million people including thousands of market women in the value chain.

When it comes to fish, Ghanaian women have traditionally been confined to processing and retailing. The role of women is significant because they add value to fresh fish through processing, while distributing and preserving fish to ensure its availability long after the peak season and allowing it to reach consumers far from the landing beach.

However, the near collapse of the pelagic fish stock, which is the main target for artisanal fishers has left fishers and women in the value chain vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

A two-month investigation by Gideon Sarpong based on interviews with dozens of fishery experts, researchers, fishers and women in the value chain has shown declining income levels for thousands of fishing households partly blamed on climate change and the rise in ocean temperature. A non-existent government intervention program to support fishing communities, particularly women who are very vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change has left them to their fate.

Climate change impact on fishers and fishmongers

It is over three hours since the fishers began pulling their nets at the Bortianor landing beach. There is an obvious anxiety among the market women and fishmongers gathered at the shore who buy their fish directly from the fishers.

Agnes Lamptey, a fishmonger for over 30 years explains the reason for the anxiety: “when there is no catch, we do not get any fish to process for selling. We can’t even provide for our children. My children are in high school and are forced to stay at home when there is a meagre catch.”

Moments after the conversation with Agnes, the fishers manage to bring their catch to the shore. “The catch today is disappointing and full of garbage,” local fisher, George Kowukumeh said. “Several hours of very hard work has produced less than 500 cedis ($62) worth of fish for the 9-member crew, what do we do with this?”

Looking dejected and disappointed, some of the market women decide to wait a little longer for other fishing canoes that are yet to return to the shore. For the fishers, the disappointment is gradually becoming a routine as they quickly prepare to mend their nets.

In 2019, the Sustainable Fisheries Management research revealed that despite increasing fishing effort by the artisanal fishing fleet in Ghana’s waters, small pelagic fish catch has fallen by over 85 percent, from the peak in reported landings of 138,955 metric tonnes recorded in 1996. The researchers blamed climate change and other man-made activities such as illegal fishing as a major cause for the decline in pelagic fish stock in the country’s waters.

Dr. Opoku Pabi, lecturer and senior research fellow at the Institute for Environmental and Sanitation Studies, University of Ghana explained that, “fish catch is strongly related to surface water and atmospheric temperatures; generally, the lower the temperatures, the higher the fish catch.”

“This does vary somewhat across species, however: the catch for Pelagic (round sardinella) peaks when sea water temperature is at its lowest” he added.

Data from a research paper he co-authored showed that Ghana has experienced a, “steady rise in atmospheric and sea water temperatures since the 1960s, with the latter increasing by an average of 0.011degree Celsius yearly.”

The paper also noted that the: “end of the rainy season” which traditionally signals the start of the main fishing season has become very “unpredictable due to variability in rainfall distribution patterns, exacerbating poverty and indebtedness among artisanal fishers and women in the value chain.”

Traditionally, women in the fishing communities across Ghana – particularly, the queen fishmongers – have owned boats and financed trips, guaranteeing them a portion of the catch.

But this traditional system is giving way as profits fall.  Fishmonger, Agnes Lamptey whose husband is also a fisherman counts her loses after investing in the day’s fishing trip.

She explained: “the fuel prices are expensive. I contributed 100 cedis ($12) to the day’s fishing trip and they returned with basically nothing. So can you imagine, I lose about 3000 cedis ($370) in a month if there’s no daily catch. We are really suffering especially, we the women. We need money to take care of our children and keep our business going.”

Steve Trent, chief executive of Environmental Justice Foundation, an NGO that monitors economic and environmental abuses has warned that any further decline in Ghana’s fish stock, particularly pelagic species would be, “catastrophic and have huge socio-economic costs.”

A 2021 study which focused on the effects of decline in fish landings on the livelihoods of coastal communities showed that decline in fish landings has “translated into low-income levels” for households that have directly depended on fishing over the years.

According to the study, 53 percent of fishing households maintained that they had seen a reduction in their incomes over the last five years.

Closed fishing season – a painful solution?

In response to the dwindling fish stock in Ghana’s waters, the Fisheries Ministry in April, 2022 announced a one month closed fishing season for artisanal fishers and semi-industrial vessels which began on July 1^st. The minister, Mrs. Mavis Hawa Koomson in a statement argued that the, “closed season was agreed on based on scientific evidence and stakeholder consensus to reduce the excessive pressure and over-exploitation of stocks in the marine sub-sector which will help replenish the fish stocks.”

Despite the consensus among various stakeholders on the need to protect spawners from capture during the breeding season, fishers and women in the value chain in several fishing communities including at Jamestown, Elmina, Tema and Bortianor have fiercely rejected this directive.

Jacob Tetteh, spokesperson for fishers at the Bortianor landing beach insisted that the closed season must be “scrapped” despite admitting to a drastic reduction in fish catch over the years.

 “The fisherfolks work is not like government work, what they get is what they spend in the house every day. So how will they survive during this period” he argued.

“What will happen to all the women and their kids who depend on the ocean for their livelihood? A loss of revenue for a single day affects the entire community.”

The fisheries minister did not respond to requests for comment.

The world has already warmed more than 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) since the preindustrial era, and last year the oceans contained more heat energy than at any point since record-keeping began six decades ago.

According to a study published in the Journal Science last April, if humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions continues and the ocean’s temperature continues to increase, roughly a “third of all marine animals could vanish within 300 years.”

Way forward

To reduce the vulnerability of climate change impact on Ghana’s fishery sector, particularly women in the value chain, Daniel Doku Nii Nortey, deputy director of coastal resources NGO Hen Mpoano, has recommended a retraining and a skills development program for fishers and women processors.

The state must invest in “alternative livelihood training programs such as soap making, hairdressing, tailoring etc. in coastal communities,” Daniel said. “These will help families diversify their source of livelihood.”

For the many fishers and women in coastal communities across Ghana, the struggle for survival stares them in the face each morning.

“It is a hopeless situation,” said fishmonger Janet Mensah who inherited the trade from her mother over 20 years ago.

“I do not know what the future holds for me and my children in this profession, it all doesn’t make sense to me again. We need help.”

Reporting and writing by Gideon Sarpong |  Follow @gideosarpong

The post How fishers & fishmongers are battling for survival on the frontier of climate change in Ghana appeared first on iWatch Africa.

They provide breeding nurseries and feeding grounds to migratory and stationary fish and to other invertebrate organisms. They provide habitat and food to marine endangered spp in Tanzania like dugongs and sea turtles as reported by UNEP. Seagrasses are also ecosystem engineers, in the sense that they significantly modify the abiotic environment of their ecosystem. For instance, seagrass leaves reduce hydrodynamic stress by attenuating currents and waves, improve light conditions by trapping suspended sediment and nutrients and increases pH by absorbing CO2 creating favorable habitat to carbonate-associated organisms, their ability to sequestrate carbon makes them an important carbon sink and lungs of the ocean (Liberatus Lymo et al 2016).

The cause of seagrass deterioration

More than half of the seagrass cover has been lost since 1977. This is due to numerous anthropogenic pressures that threaten the existence of seagrass beds. Most findings reports that pollutions, coastal developments and boat anchoring have for decades been the major cause of seagrass loss in many areas including the Indian Ocean.  It’s approximated that every day more than 1000s of seagrasses are dying and drawn away from the ocean with this rate of seagrass death increasing there is a possibility of losing seagrass beds completely in the next 10 years if no actions are taken.

A decade loss of sea cow

The dugongs in Tanzania may now be functionally extinct in Tanzania with just a handful of individuals left in the Rufuji Delta area. The interviews with fishers in 2002/3 in 57 villages along Tanzanian coast produced just 32 records, of which 8 were live animals and 24 were accidental net captures, the majority occurred in the southern part of the Rufiji Delta around Mohoro Bay were occasionally group of 3-5 were seen in July and august.

Since 2015 only few individuals has been seen. Dugongs have been extensively hunted for their meat and they’re usually killed if encountered. With the spp now so rare, there is little active hunting and the greater threats are entanglement in fishing nets and loss of seagrass habitat. Sea cow highly depends on seagrass beds for food. The decline of seagrass makes them to migrate and die in a long search for food. It’s sadly probable that the dugong will be extinct in Tanzania in the next couple of years.

Endangered sea turtle

Five species of marine turtles occur in Tanzania’s waters. These includes green, hawksbill, loggerhead, olive ridley and leatherback. Two species; green and hawksbill are all categorized by IUCN as endangered or critically endangered. Population are declining as a result of seagrass habitat destruction and alteration, overexploitation for meat and eggs and incidental capture in gillnets and trawlers.

Although conservation and management efforts are underway in some areas of Tanzania including the Zanzibar islands of Unguja and Pemba, and Mafia, Bagamoyo, Temeke, Mkuranga and Mtwara districts on the mainland the conservation status of turtles in Tanzania remains largely unknown. Information concerning population dynamics is incomplete while knowledge of nesting populations and feeding habitats is patchy and of developmental habitats almost non-existent as reported by WWF

Read more: Ghostwriter bachelorarbeit österreich

Sea turtles largely depends on seagrass for food, the destruction of seagrass can create even larger pressure to these endangered marine spp causing them to extinct completely in the Tanzanian ocean waters.

Actions to conserve seagrass and life below waters

Seagrass needs our attention and immediate response to conserve and restore them for them to keep supporting the marine life and the life of the endangered marine spp in Tanzania. Sustainable Ocean Alliance Tanzania (SOA TANZANIA) have been working hard to monitor and restore the seagrass beds in Tanzania with the hope of restoring and conserving more than 10 hectares of the seagrass cover in Tanzania coastline. we recommends for a joint efforts among stakeholders, scientists, coastal communities and the government in conserving the seagrass ecosystem and the ocean a large, this joint force could help more to achieve the 30 by 30 conservation action force for our seagrasses in Tanzania.

Article by Ailars David  | SOA Tanzania Hub Lead

References

Duarte CM (2002) The future of seagrass meadows. Environmental Conservation 29: 192-206

Liberatus D Lymo (2016) carbon sequestration processes in Tropical seagrass beds. ISBN 978-91-7649-369-4 .Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University

Chumbe island hand book on marine animals

wwf.panda.org/statusofseaturtlesintanzania/

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The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), an NGO that monitors economic and environmental abuses, has blamed the depletion of Ghana’s fish stocks on over-fishing by Chinese-owned trawlers that use Ghanaian front companies to obtain fishing  licences.

“Any further decline would be catastrophic and have huge socio-economic costs,” warned Steve Trent, EJF’s chief executive.

The foundation estimates that  90% of fishing vessels operating  in Ghana’s territorial waters are effectively owned by Chinese companies.

The investigation revealed that Chinese-owned Shandong Zhonglu Oceanic Fisheries Company has set up three front companies holding five fishing licences acquired from Ghana’s Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Such opaque ownership arrangements have significantly reduced Ghana’s fish stocks, draining the economy of an estimated US$50-million a year.

The investigation highlighted the failure of government officials in Ghana to take significant action to deal with legal violations.

In June 2021, the European Union issued a warning  to Ghana for what it described as the country’s failure to impose, “effective sanctions on vessels engaging in or supporting illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities”.

Several years of calls for reform by  civil society actors, academics and the EU have yielded very little result, according to Francis Adam, the President of the Central Region Fishermen Association.

“The current minister and previous officials have not shown enough commitment to dealing with Chinese involvement in the fishing sector and the impact on local fishers,” Adam said.

The Fisheries Minister Hawa Koomson, who is responsible for protecting fisheries in Ghana, failed to respond to several letters from the investigators seeking information or comment about findings of this investigation.

A hidden Chinese fleet?

Shandong Zhonglu Oceanic Fisheries Company, is a publicly traded Chinese company which revealed in its 2014 annual report that it uses a “special purpose vehicle” to exercise control over a number of Ghanaian-registered companies.

The company, headed by Lu Lianxing, a member of the Communist Party of China, has its principal place of business at Qingdao in China’s Shandong province.

In its 2019 annual report, the company disclosed that it had a 100 percent stake in the following companies in Ghana: Laif Fisheries Company, Zhong Gha Foods Company and Africa Star Fisheries. It also described these companies as “significant foreign operating entities”.

A review of the Ghana’s 2021 licensed fishing vessels revealed that three of the companies owned by Shandong have obtained licences to operate five tuna vessels in the country.

They are listed as follows:

Source: Ministry of Fisheries, Ghana Licensed Vessels 2021

Documents obtained from Ghana’s Registrar of Companies showed that Africa Star Fisheries was not registered in the country as at November 2021. Despite this, the ministry has granted it a fishing licence.

The documents also show that Shandong-registered Afko Fisheries is registered in Ghana to six entities and persons but make no mention of Shandong itself.

 Source: Registrar General Ghana, 2021

LAIF Fisheries, which is also owned and controlled by Shandong is registered and owned by two entities in Ghana:  Industrial Finance (Africa) House and Shandong Zhonglu Hiayan Ocean.

Despite several requests for comment by email and on the phone, neither Shandong nor its subsidiaries in Ghana responded.

The investigation also showed that Ghana’s Fishery Ministry granted fishing licences to the companies listed below last year, while there was no evidence at the Registrar of Companies that they were registered.

Source: 2021 Licensed Vessels, Fisheries Ministry, Ghana

The Principal State Attorney in the Registrar’s office, Afua Sarpong, explained that, “any evidence of company registration documents held by these companies may be brought to the attention of the Registrar General for authentication”.

Fisheries expert Trent said section 47 of Ghana’s Fisheries Act stipulates that at least 50 percent of the beneficial ownership or control of tuna fishing vessels must be held by the Ghanaian government, a citizen of Ghana or Ghanaian public corporation, and have its principal place of business in Ghana.

He added: “Given that the vessels appear to be operating under the flag of Ghana, if they listed are as suspected as being beneficially owned in the majority by Chinese state/corporate actors, … either the vessels did not declare their true beneficial ownership, or the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development contravened the Fisheries Act by granting the vessels authorisation (to operate).”

“The new 2019 Companies Act clarifies the definition of a beneficial owner, showing clearly that the way Chinese fishing corporations are using Ghanaian front companies is illegal,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Ghana Industrial Trawlers Association, Kate Ansah, argued that trawl vessel owners in Ghana go into “hire purchase agreements with Chinese owners”.

However, she insisted that the Ghanaian-registered tuna companies are allowed to go into partnerships.

Kofi Agbogah, a fisheries expert and director of coastal governance NGO Hen Mpoano, said Ghanaian subsidiary companies acquire licences directly from the Ministry of Fisheries “through opaque and phony arrangements”, while the vessels are “manned (operated) by Chinese owners”

“This is illegal,” he added.

Loss of revenue

The lack of transparency which allows Chinese companies to set up opaque corporate structures and work through Ghanaian fronts to obtain licences to fish is thought to deprive Ghana of up to $23.7 million a year in tax revenue.

Illegal fishing linked to opaque ownership structures also has severe impact on Ghana’s “small pelagic” fish populations, as sardinella numbers are  already on the brink of collapse, with catches crashing by 80% over the past 20 years.

Adam commented that he had worked in the fishing industry for more than three decades, but that “the last decade has been most challenging due to dramatic reduction in our catches as a result of the influx of foreign vessels”.

China’s influence

The World Bank has estimated that incomes of artisanal fishers in West Africa have fallen by 40 percent over the past decade, plunging thousands of fishers and their dependents into abject poverty.

This raises important questions about why officials at Ghana’s Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture have failed to take any urgent action to deal with the perpetrators and the beneficiaries of these illegal practices.

The World Bank has also raised concerns about the Ghana government’s “weak commitment to reducing the industrial segment’s fishing capacity (in favour of small artisanal fishers)”,as agreed under a 2012 moratorium.

The bank noted that the government is “highly influenced by forces within the industrial segment” and reiterated that “foreign-owned vessels being allowed to register in Ghana under beneficial ownership arrangements were not being investigated”.

In the past, the Ghanaian government has taken a soft stance against alleged legal violations by Chinese companies, in what is seen as a trade-off for Chinese development aid.

In 2019, the government dropped the prosecution of a well-known Chinese national, Aisha Huang, who was found to be openly engaged in illegal mining in the country and opted to deport her.

A senior government minister Yaw Osafo Maafo, explained that Huang had not faced the full rigours of the law because of huge Chinese investments in the  country.

State investment data show that the number of Chinese projects and investments in Ghana has rapidly accelerated over the past two decades. China is currently Ghana’s primary source of foreign direct investment, as well as its principal trading partner and infrastructure financier.

Michael Addaney, a Ghanaian researcher and lecturer at the Department of Planning and Sustainability at the University of Energy and Natural Resources remarked that “while China claims it is prioritising environmental sustainability in Africa, the extractive projects initiated by its private sector do not align with this stated goal”.

These projects, he argued, “serve China’s broader interests and often create environmental consequences and problematic debt”.

Trent complained that in a country where close to 25 percent of the population live below the poverty line, “Ghana’s valuable fisheries resources are being sold off for negligible returns to foreign operators in breach of the law”.

 “The minister must immediately resolve the issue of over-capacity in Ghanaian waters in line with scientific advice so as to counter the collapse, or near-collapse, of fish populations in the country.”

“A red card (EU import ban) for the country is a realistic prospect should Ghana be deemed to make insufficient progress.”

…………………….

Reporting and writing by Gideon Sarpong. Daniel Abugre Anyorigya contributed to this report.

This is part of a series on environmental crime in Africa, supported by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, the Henry Nxumalo Foundation and Oxpeckers Investigative Environmental Journalism.

The post Chinese-owned vessels ‘threaten Ghana’s fishing industry’ appeared first on iWatch Africa.

Emmanuel Essien embarked on an observer mission in July 2019 but never returned. An observer’s job is to collect data on fishing activities and report on illegal practices occurring at sea.

The vessel he accompanied on that fateful Monday is registered locally as Kenbonad Fisheries Ltd, but investigations have shown that it is owned and operated by the Chinese company, Dalian Mengxin Ocean Fishery Co. Ltd.

“The Ghanaian law expressly forbids foreign ownership of industrial trawl vessels operating under the Ghanaian flag both in terms of ownership on paper, and, crucially, in terms of those who profit from the vessel – known as the ‘beneficial owners,” says Steve Trent, Director of Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).

“The new 2019 Companies Act (Act 992) clarifies the definition of a beneficial owner, showing clearly that the way Chinese fishing corporations are using Ghanaian front companies is illegal,” he adds.

Ghana fishery officials have failed to take any action against fishing vessels owned by Dalian Mengxin despite the widespread evidence of beneficial ownership. As at 2021, twelve vessels owned by the Dalian Megxin were fronted by five companies registered locally in Ghana. These companies are listed in the table below:

Source: 2021 List of Licensed Vessels in Ghana, Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ghana

A three-month investigation by Gideon Sarpong based on interviews with dozens of fishery experts, court records and company financial documents has shown a network of Chinese control and ownership of many industrial fishing vessels currently operating in Ghanaian waters in contravention of local laws.

The investigation revealed that these Chinese companies; Shandong Zhonglu Oceanic Fisheries Company Limited and Rongcheng Marine Fishery Co. Ltd have set up over ten “front” companies holding fishing licenses from the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Ghana.

The investigation also shows that illegal trawler activities have significantly reduced Ghana’s fish stock, draining the economy of over $50m a year according to the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).

In June this year, the European Union issued a warning (yellow card) to Ghana for what it described as the country’s failure to impose, “effective sanctions on vessels engaging in or supporting IUU fishing activities.”

As a seafood market for Ghana-flagged trawl fleet, Ghana risks losing access to the European Union market as result of the lack of transparency around vessel operations and opaque ownership arrangements. This has however prompted very little reforms in the country.

Several years of calls for reforms from civil society actors, academia and the EU have so far yielded very little results.

Hidden Chinese Fleet – Shandong Zhonglu Oceanic Fisheries Co. Ltd

Shandong Zhonglu Oceanic Fisheries Co. Ltd, is a publicly traded Chinese company which has admitted to using a Special Purpose Vehicle via an operational lease to exert control over a number of Ghanaian registered companies.

The company headed by Lu Lianxing, a member of the Communist Party of China has its principal place of business at Qingdao in Shandong.

In its 2019 annual report, the company disclosed that it had a 100 percent share ownership of the following companies; Laif Fisheries Company Limited, Yaw Addo Fisheries Company Limited, Zhong Gha Foods Company Limited and Africa Star Fisheries Limited. It also described these companies as “significant foreign operating entities.”

A review of the Ghana’s 2021 licensed fishing vessels revealed that three of the companies owned by Shandong Zhonglu Ocean Fisheries Co. Ltd. had obtained licenses to operate five fishing vessels in Ghana.

This is listed below:

Source: Ministry of Fisheries, Ghana Licensed Vessels 2021

Section 47 of Ghana’s Fisheries Act prescribes clearly the requirements for obtaining a license for in Ghana.

Qualification as local industrial or semi-industrial fishing vessel:

(1) A local industrial or semi-industrial fishing vessel is a fishing vessel

(a) owned or controlled by a citizen, the Government, or owned or controlled by a company or partnership registered by law in the Republic which has its principal place of business in the Republic and the share of which is beneficially owned wholly by the Government, a citizen, a public corporation established by law in the Republic or a combination of any of them.

Fisheries expert Steve Trent argues that based on Ghana’s law and “given that the vessels appear to be operating under the flag of Ghana, it would indicate that either the vessels “did not declare their true beneficial ownership, or that the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MOFAD) contravened the Fisheries Act by granting the vessels authorization.”

Rongcheng Marine Fishery Co. Ltd

The investigation also showed that 10 registered fishing vessels in Ghana, comprising the LU RONG YUAN YU fleet of vessels were owned and controlled by the Chinese company Rongcheng Marine Fishery Co. Ltd. This company had also set up front companies to conceal their influence and circumvent local laws in Ghana.

Rongcheng Marine Fishery Co. Ltd, which owns the LU RONG YUAN YU fleet of vessels was established in August 2011 with a principal place of operations in Rongcheng, Shandong Province. It was found that in the EU list of approved vessels from China, Rongcheng Marine Fishery Co. Ltd was identified as the owner of all LU RONG YUAN YU fleet of vessels whereas the situation was entirely different in Ghana.

A review of vessel licensing documents showed that the LU RONG YUAN YU fleet of vessels were fronted by six different companies all of which were only traced to P. O. box addresses.

This is listed below:

Source: Ministry of Fisheries, Ghana Licensed Vessels 2021

Repeated attempts were made to locate the contact details for these companies to approach them for comment, despite the lack of publicly accessible contact data or websites in Ghana.

Both Shandong Zhonglu Oceanic Fisheries Co. Ltd and Rongcheng Marine Fishery Co. Ltd did not respond to requests for comments.

Fisheries expert and director of coastal governance NGO, Hen Mpoano, Kofi Agbogah said Ghanaian subsidiary companies acquire licenses directly from the Ministry of Fisheries “through some opaque and phony arrangements”, while the vessels are “manned by Chinese owners.”

“This is illegal,” he added.

Impact-Economic and Biodiversity

The lack of transparency which allows these companies to set up opaque corporate structures and work through Ghanaian ‘front’ companies to obtain licenses to fish deprives Ghana of $23.7 million every year in revenue.

Illegal fishing which is linked to opaque ownership structures is also having a severe impact on Ghana’s ‘small pelagic’ fish populations, as sardinella is already on the brink of collapse, with landings having crashed by 80% over the past twenty years.

Francis Adam, President of the Central Region Fishermen and a local fisherman in Ghana confirmed the findings of this report.

“I have been in the fishing business for over three decades but the last decade, has been most challenging due to dramatic reduction in our catches as a result of influx of foreign vessels,” he said.

The World Bank has estimated that incomes of artisanal fishers in West Africa have reduced by 40 percent over the past decade plunging thousands of fishers and their dependents into abject poverty.

All of these revelations raise important questions about why officials in Ghana have failed to take any urgent action to deal with the perpetrators and the beneficiaries of this illegal fishing practices.

In September 2021, Ghana’s Fisheries Minister Hawa Koomson called on the media and civil society organisations to assist the ministry in addressing the challenge of illegal fishing in Ghana.

The minister has however failed to respond to the findings of this investigation two months after it was presented to her.

The World Bank raised concerns about Ghana government’s “weak commitment to reducing the industrial segment’s fishing capacity.”

It noted that the government is “highly influenced by forces within the industrial segment” and raised concerns that foreign-owned vessels being allowed to register in Ghana under beneficial ownership arrangements were not being investigated.

For a country with close to 25 percent of its population living below the poverty line, “Ghana’s valuable fisheries resources are being sold off for negligible returns to foreign operators in breach of the law,” says Trent.

He adds, “the minister must immediately resolve the issue of overcapacity in Ghanaian waters in-line with scientific advice so as to counter the collapse, or near collapse, of fish populations in the country.”

Just like the bleak short-term prospects facing Ghana’s fishery sector, Essien’s family also face an uncertain future.

“We are simply in the dark, no information from the ministry and no compensation. It is sad how a nation will treat one of its own workers,” says James, Essien’s brother.

“My mother keeps calling me, saying: “have you heard from the police? Tell them to bring my son.”

So far, investigations into Essien’s disappearance by Ghana’s Attorney General has not resulted in any prosecutions.

…………………….

Reporting and writing by Gideon Sarpong. Daniel Abugre Anyorigya contributed to this report.

This article was developed with support from the Africa-China Reporting Project.

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Blue carbon generally refers to the carbon captured and stored in coastal vegetated habitats, including mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and tidal marshes. Blue carbon is one of the natural processes that helps mitigate the damages of anthropogenic climate change.

However, these coastal habitats are in decline. Currently an estimated 1.9 per cent of mangroves are lost each year globally, resulting in 240 Tg of CO2 emissions – equivalent to emissions from the use of 588 million barrels of oil or from 50.5 million passenger vehicles.

Mangroves in the West African region are also believed to be at risk, with estimates suggesting a 25 per cent loss in the region between 1980 and 2006: an average annual loss of 2-7 per cent in terms of carbon sink.

Despite these declines, West Africa still contains approximately 14 per cent of the world’s mangrove area. Given the benefit of blue carbon sequestration and storage that mangroves and other coastal vegetated habitats provide, it is vital to incorporate blue carbon habitats in climate change policy as a strategy for both maintaining these habitats and conserving significant carbon sequestration capabilities.

So far, only few countries in West Africa have included blue carbon policies in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) as part of the Paris Accord commitments.

How can West African states move forward to develop a comprehensive policy framework that encourages the protection of coastal ecosystems and requires the inclusion of estimates of sequestration capabilities in decision-making regarding development and the environment?

Challenge – Mainstreaming blue carbon policies in development plans

The biggest challenge to incorporating blue carbon ecosystems in climate development plans are the significant lacunae in what we know about the carbon stored in these ecosystems. Relatively little is known about West Africa’s blue carbon stocks. Although the continent is home to 22 per cent of the world’s mangroves, it is the subject of only 7 per cent of the scientific literature that attempts to estimate values for blue carbon in ecosystems.

Thus, any effort to introduce policy-based measures must first take into consideration environmental based assessments focusing on data and frameworks which quantify the relationships between atmospheric carbon and marine carbon storage.

Some work on this has been done. The UN Environment Program (UNEP) and other research institutions have previously conducted some feasibility work in West Africa, primarily focused on the Ivory Coast. However, there is still a need for broader study of the social and financial benefits of carbon sequestration in marine habitats across the region, as well as for ways in which CO₂ can be removed from the atmosphere and marine environment on a sub-national scale.

The importance of more local-level data is due to the fact that decisions on the treatment of blue carbon are made at the sub-national levels, and such information is critical for decision makers as they implement policy on a practical level.

Nevertheless, even with gaps in information, West African countries should still be able to incorporate blue carbon values into their NDCs and local development plans.

Several West African states have existing laws and protocols that do provide statutory authority under which relevant agencies can accelerate readiness-assessment. These laws are important in helping countries identify the appropriate entry points and needs, and they set a clear pathway for blue carbon inclusion in development plans.

The path forward

There are numerous options for West African policymakers to start incorporating blue carbon in their climate priorities and NDCs, as recommended, for example, in the Blue Carbon NDC Guidelines and several other case studies. Effective design and implementation requires dialogue, consulation and cooperation at the local, national and regional levels:

• Policymakers designing updated NDCs that include blue carbon should set out to establish these NDCs within and alongside existing national processes and plans. This promotes consistency across national and subnational development plans.
• NDC policymakers should develop their priorities in close consultation and collaboration with experts from other policy fields, as well as from all relevant ministries and agencies. These can also include local communities, indigenous groups, local and international NGOs, academia, the private sector, among others.
• NDC policymakers should consider costing the various activities within the coastal wetlands’ chapters of their NDCs. This will be necessary for domestic budgetary processes and investment plans. Countries may also consider adopting national and subnational policies that create financial incentives for protecting and conserving blue carbon ecosystems.
• Countries in West Africa should consider improving their regional climate cooperation, e.g., identifying and disseminating lessons learned throughout the region and support each other with the necessary technical assistance. The NDC Partnership initiative is a good place for states to begin.

Read More: Transforming climate finance for debt-distressed economies during COVID-19

Blue carbon ecosystems can directly link local community action with the global climate change effort and the goals of net zero by 2050. Mainstreaming blue carbon at all levels of governance is fundamental to effective and necessary global climate action.

This article was originally published by the European University Institute here.

Gideon Sarpong is a Policy Leader Fellow at the School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute, Florence, Italy. He is also a co-founder of iWatch Africa. His research interests include climate financing, ocean climate policy and internet governance.

The post Ocean-Climate Nexus: A Blue-Carbon Pathway for West African States appeared first on iWatch Africa.

The Ghana Fisheries Laws frame of reference, while still undergoing revisions to ensure that emerging issues are addressed and that global standards are also followed up; many concerns are popping up. As government instigates on these reforms, the main question that runs through the minds of most actors is “how good and efficient have those laws fostered sustainable fishing practices so far?”.

In an engagement with the representative of the Omanhen at the Elmina Canoe and Fishermen’s Palace, Mr. Kofi Susu expressed, “Gone are the days when citizens used to put the interest of Ghana as their ultimate priority. But what do we see today?  We are all interested in our wellbeing, leaving behind the wellbeing of this country and that is what has butted in the fishing industry”. He added, “whatever challenges the industry is facing balls down to the weak enforcement of the fisheries regulations”. According to him, the definite way to fend for an encouraging future for the sector depends on the level of enforcement.

The two main legitimate frameworks exercised by the government to manage the fishery sector are; the Fisheries Act 625, of 2002, and Fisheries Regulation (L.I. 1968) of 2010. However, the Navy, the police, and the courts are equipped to put these laws into effect. Apart from the fact that rules and legislation are completely committed to the document, they are less compelled to follow their meaning without any form of compliance, so the law must be implemented efficiently and effectively.

A report in 2004 by The Center for Conservation and Government at Conservation International on Strengthening the Weakest Links: Strategies for Improving the Enforcement of Environmental Laws Globally, indicated that, compliance is a “chain” that requires subsequent intervention. By way of clarification, strong compliance requires not only good identification but also successful investigation, detention, prosecution, and conviction of lawbreakers, and the implementation of sanctions where applicable. This alludes to the fact that a compliance framework can successfully minimize violations if each of these measures is carried out effectively.

 For this reason, strengthening only one part of this “chain” will not succeed as long as other pronounced weaknesses exist; a typical reflection of what is seen in Ghana’s fisheries sector.

Course of Action

Improving compliance would eliminate or reduce illegal fishing activities to a reasonable level. Although we recognize sustainability as a country, there should be no political interference in the implementation and enforcement of fisheries laws and regulations. Based on personal communication with some of the fishermen and key players in the industry, the implementation of fisheries legislation and the prosecution of those who violate them are undermined by political elites.

Factor 6 of the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index which examines how regulations are implemented and enforced emphasizes that, a strong rule of law requires that regulations and administrative provisions are enforced effectively. According to section 6.1 of the index, the regulations should be applied and enforced without improper influence by public officials or private interests. When all these measures are properly executed, the enforcement of the fisheries laws could be an essential means to safeguard the long-term sustainability of Ghana’s fishery. The time is now!

BY Eunice Osei-Yeboah | Member: Sustainable Ocean Alliance Ghana

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The job of a vessel observer is to ensure that licensed vessels comply with the local laws.  In Ghana, an observer’s allegations if proven to be true could result in a minimum $1m fine.

 “I don’t believe the government and the authorities valued the work my brother was doing,” said James, the elder brother of Emmanuel. “If they did, they would attach some seriousness and urgency to the investigation. We know nothing. We don’t understand how it can take so long.”

“Bribery and corruption are rife in the sector, with observers forced to accept bribes from Chinese officers to stop them from reporting on illegal activities,” said Steve Trent, Director of Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).

A new EJF report estimates that Ghana could generate between US$14-24 million annually from its trawl sector by way of fishing license fees and fisheries-related infringements but fisheries resources are being sold off for negligible returns.

A three month investigation by Gideon Sarpong and Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi based on interviews with dozens of fishery experts, court records and company and financial documents has established a hidden network of Chinese control and ownership of many industrial fishing vessels operating in Ghanaian waters in contravention of local laws.

The investigation also shows that these Chinese companies commonly operate through “front” companies to obtain fishing licenses and with very minimal action from regulatory bodies. The investigation established that in contravention of the Ghana’s Fisheries Management Plan, the Fisheries Commission in 2019 granted three fishing licenses to Shandong Zhonglu Oceanic Fisheries Co. Ltd, a publicly traded Chinese company which made millions of dollars in profit from its operations in Ghana in 2018.

Transhipment activities in Ghana and Nigeria

At an open shed along the coast of Elmina, one can hear the chatter of resting fishers dominated by the painted hulls of newly returned pirogues strewn with flags and washing. Some of these canoes are also seen stacked with slabs of mixed frozen fish at the port.

 Francis Adam, President of the Central Region Fishermen explains why frozen fish can be found in some canoes: “Industrial fishing trawlers licensed to harvest demersal (bottom-dwelling) species deliberately target the staple catch of the artisanal fishers, the small pelagics, and sell such fishes back to the local coastal communities at a profit.” This process is known as transhipment or ‘Saiko’ in Ghana.

Transhipment is a severely destructive form of illegal fishing according to Ghana’s Fisheries Act 625 of 2002, which expressively prohibits the practice. The law seems to be of little consequence as this very profitable venture takes place openly at the Elmina Port.

Francis bemoaned the decreasingly rate of catches by artisanal fishers in Ghana and directly blamed “Saiko” for the drop. “I have been in the fishing business for over three decades but the last decade, has been most challenging due to dramatic reduction in our catches as a result of Saiko,” he said.

Although fishing effort by the artisanal fleet has been increasing, catches of small pelagics fell to only 19,608 metric tonnes in 2016, a sharp decline from the peak in reported landings of 138,955 metric tonnes recorded in 1996, the Fisheries Scientific and Technical Working Group (STWG) has estimated. The report also warned that Ghana’s pelagic fish stock is in imminent danger and could collapse completely by the close of 2020.

An average saiko canoe lands in a single trip the equivalent of approximately 450 artisanal fishing trips. “This is a major threat to over 100,000 artisanal fishers in Ghana who depend on fishing for their livelihoods and the long-term viability of Ghana’s fisheries,” says Dr. Isaac Okyere, a researcher at the University of Cape Coast.  He added: “It has now become obvious that the small pelagic fish they catch is no more a by-catch. The by-catch has become the target and the demarsal fish has become the by-catch.”

“A fish population is just like a human population, if we start killing our children, what will become of society. It is a whole lot of illegality; from the net they [Chinese Trawlers] are using, from where they are fishing, from the species they are catching and from their sizes,” says Dr. Okyere.

Meanwhile in Nigeria, the situation is not entirely different. Foreign owned vessels in connivance with some local fishermen and security officials engage in transhipment activities, despite prohibition by the Sea Fisheries Act says Mr. Monwon, a local fisher.

Transhipment activities by Chinese owned trawlers are considered a major problem in Oyorokoto, in the Niger Delta region. Mr. Monwon, recounted how he was threatened at sea after confronting a Chinese manned vessel and blamed transhipment activities for dwindling catch and economic hardship facing many residents of Oyorokoto who depend on artisanal fishing for their livelihoods.

“After they have finished fishing, we hardly see fishes to catch”, said Mr. Monwom pointing to a fishing vessel at a far distance.

Head of artisanal fishermen in Bonny, Promise Bristol also shared similar sentiments: “foreign trawlers connive with security agents to attack local fishermen who rebel against their illegal activities.”

Could it be that Emmanuel’s dedication to fighting illegal trawler activities might have unsettled his Chinese crew and resulted in his disappearance?

James, Emmanuel’s brother believes there was foul play: “I suspect there was a co-ordinated attempt to take him off. He was going to write up a report. Perhaps there was a disagreement. Perhaps the Chinese didn’t like it.”

It has been over a year since Emmanuel went missing and checks at the Attorney General’s office in Ghana suggests that there has not been an official report or any prosecution by the State.

In the same month Emmanuel went missing, an industrial Chinese trawler, Lu Rong Yuan Yu 956 (AF 756) fronted by Gyinam Fisheries Limited in Ghana was arrested and fined $1m for engaging in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The Lu Rong Yuan Yu 956 (AF 756) in spite of failing to pay the $1m fine in October 2019 was re-licensed to fish again, and in May 2020 was re-arrested for almost identical illegal fishing offences.

 “Opaque ownership arrangements in Ghana’s fishing industry are a root cause of governance and management failures in the sector and are certainly impeding effective prosecutions for fisheries offences. Prosecutions fail to target the beneficial owners –often a much larger entity with a controlling interest in the vessel – to ensure sanctions imposed are proportionate and have a deterrent effect,” says Trent.

Marine Police Director, DCOP Iddi Seidu whose unit led the arrest admitted that “strict enforcement and application of the fisheries laws” is critical in dealing with this menace.

Hidden Chinese Fleet in West Africa

So far, several petitions by Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC) to the Fisheries Commission and the president of Ghana have failed to curb this practice.

Our investigation uncovered that in 2019, fishing licenses were granted to three Chinese vessels in contravention of the government’s own Fisheries Management Plan which states that 48 trawlers are the most that the fishery can sustain, and also in violation of a government moratorium dating from 2012.

As at 2017, the number of licensed vessels in Ghana stood at 76. In that same year, the Fisheries Ministry halted publication of the vessel license registry and ownership information, a step many experts have described as a significant blow to transparency and accountability.

Shandong Zhonglu Oceanic Fisheries Co. Ltd, is a publicly traded Chinese company which has admitted to using a Special Purpose Vehicle via an operational lease to exert control over a number of Ghanaian registered companies. The companies; Laif Fisheries Company Limited, Yaw Addo Fisheries Company Limited, Zhong Gha Foods Company Limited and Africa Star Fisheries Limited were described as “significant foreign operating entities” in its 2018/9 annual report.  The company in its annual report and on its website also admitted to receiving fishing licenses from officials in Ghana for three fishing vessels in April 2019. The company financials showed that it generated significant returns from its operations in Ghana. In 2018 alone, it made over $4.5M in profits from its fishing establishments within country.

“The Ghanaian law expressly forbids foreign ownership of industrial trawl vessels operating under the Ghanaian flag both in terms of ownership on paper, and, crucially, in terms of those who profit from the vessel – known as the ‘beneficial owners’,” says Trent.

“The new 2019 Companies Act (Act 992) clarifies the definition of a beneficial owner, showing clearly that the way Chinese fishing corporations are using Ghanaian front companies is illegal,” he adds.

In a strongly worded letter to the director of the Fisheries Commission in Ghana in May 2020 the GNCFC argued that they are “firmly opposed” to any decision to issue license to new vessels to fish in Ghana.

Ghanaian subsidiary companies acquire licenses directly from the Ministry of Agriculture “through some opaque and phony arrangements”, while the vessels are “manned by Chinese owners, this is illegal,” says Kofi Agbogah, director of the Ghanaian fisheries and coastal governance NGO, Hen Mpoano.

 “With powerful interests at play, this will require political commitment at the highest levels of government to oversee reforms and ensure progress is not derailed by political lobbying or interference,” Trent recommends.

The director of Fisheries Commission in Ghana, Arthur Dadzie failed to respond to several requests for an interview for this report.

Our investigation also uncovered that nine vessels owned and controlled by Chinese companies had set up front companies to conceal their influence and circumvent local laws in Ghana.

These nine Ghanaian-flagged trawlers authorised to export catches to the European Union appeared on the Chinese list of establishments authorised to also export fisheries products to the EU.

A 2019 World Bank report highlighted the Ghanaian government’s “weak commitment to reducing the industrial segment’s fishing capacity.” The report further noted that the government is “highly influenced by forces within the industrial segment” and raised concerns that foreign-owned vessels being allowed to register in Ghana under beneficial ownership arrangements were not being investigated.

 “The European Commission must use all tools foreseen under the EU IUU Regulation if it is demonstrated that Ghana has failed to discharge its duties to effectively address IUU fishing under international law,” says Trent.

Illegal and destructive practices by foreign owned trawlers are draining the Ghanaian economy of $50m a year according to EJF.

Meanwhile in Nigeria, many marine and coastal ecosystems are close to collapse due to IUU fishing, Prof. Chioma Nzeh of the Department of Zoology, University of Ilorin reveals.

Annually, Nigeria loses as much as $70million to IUU activities Nigeria Navy reports in a 2018 estimate.

Many of these Chinese fishing vessels do not have fishing licences, and they fish as far as four nautical miles depriving local fishers of their daily catch. Four Chinese fishing vessels were arrested by the Nigerian Navy in August 2017 while fishing within the Non Trawling Zone (2-6 nautical miles).

The Nigeria Government should do the needful to come up with “effective laws, and there must be proper monitoring from officials of federal Department of fisheries (FDF)”, said Nene Jamabo, Rivers State Chairman and Fisheries Association of Nigeria.

However in Ghana, Emmanuel’s family is no closer to knowing the truth about what happened to their son on that fateful day. Despite an investigation which showed that the Meng Xin 15 belongs to a Chinese state-owned enterprise, Dalian Meng Xin Ocean Fisheries no action has been taken so far by the Ghanaian government against the vessel owners and the crew.

“My mother keeps calling me, saying: “have you heard from the police? Tell them to bring my son,” says James.

Political Inaction and weak penalty system

All of these revelations raise important questions about why officials in Ghana and Nigeria have failed to take any urgent action to deal with the perpetrators and beneficiaries of illegal fishing practices?

Kofi Agbogah and Francis Adam, who have been at the forefront of activism against IUU, directly blamed powerful political players who encourage these licensing arrangements and illegal fishing practices.

“A number of “politically exposed persons” (a term used in the 2019 Companies Act) hold directorships and shares in local companies that hold the licences for trawl vessels operating in Ghana,’ said Trent. “We have heard allegations of such individuals lobbying for the registration of new vessels and for enforcement proceedings to be dropped, sanctions reduced or licenses reinstated.”

From 2007 to 2015, 199 fishing vessels were arrested for various fishery offences in Ghana according to a USAID report. The report also noted that “some fines were not paid in full and in some cases the Minister of Fisheries accepted less the amount imposed.”

For a country with close to 25 percent of its population living below the poverty line, “Ghana’s valuable fisheries resources are being sold off for negligible returns to foreign operators in breach of the law,” says Trent.

The World Bank has estimated that incomes of artisanal fishers in West Africa have reduced by 40 percent over the past decade plunging many fishers into abject poverty.

Ghana’s Fisheries Minister, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, who declined a request for an interview came under intense criticism after she backed illegal transshipment activities in March 2020. She has since revised her position but has done “very little to curb the practice” according to local fishers.

EU and International Action

The European Union Council imposed a three year ban on Ghana in 2012 for failure to monitor fishing fleets, neglecting to impose sanctions on illegal fishing operators, and failing to develop robust fisheries laws.

As a market for seafood caught by the Ghana-flagged trawl fleet, Francis Adam, an advocate against IUU is of the view that the “EU may be the final hope Ghana and Nigeria may have to restore some order” in the fisheries sector.

Francis is convinced that a recent threat of a ban by the EU could be the jolt needed for reforms within the fisheries sector in Ghana.

But with the EU embroiled in a contentious BREXIT negotiations, Dirk Siebels, member of Global Initiative Against Transnational Crime, believes that officials in Ghana and Nigeria need the “political will, coupled with transparent processes” to curb transshipment and illegal trawler activities.

Meanwhile, EJF has recommended that both Ghana and Chinese governments “must collaborate” to ensure that the “perpetrators and beneficiaries of illegal fishing are identified and held to account in a transparent processes.”

For Dr. Okyere, the solution must be a radical one: “if we truly are serious about stopping the destructive nature of transshipment, then all industrial trawling in our waters must be halted entirely until significant reforms are done. (Phentermine) ”

Reporting and writing by Gideon Sarpong (Ghana) and Elfreda Kevin-Alerechi (Nigeria).

This article was developed with the support of the Money Trail Project (www.money-trail.org).

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Despite its contribution to the nation’s economy, the sector has over the years been experiencing a never-ending decline of stocks.

One of the reasons for the continuous decline of fish stocks has been attributed to ‘Saiko’– an illegal practice where industrial trawlers sell their “unwanted” catch to local canoe owners on the high seas.

‘Saiko’ is illegal under Ghanaian fisheries legislation, attracting a fine of between US$100,000 and US$2 million. Notwithstanding, the minimum fine increases to US$1 million where catches involve juvenile fish or the use of prohibited fishing gear.

This practice has a far-reaching impact on the sustainability of the fishery sector, a total deviation from the target fourteen of the Sustainable Development Goals which is Sustainable Fishing.

Beyond the urgent concerns to totally put an end to “Saiko”, artisanal fishers are left with no option but to engage in other illegal practices to earn their livelihood.

As the saying goes, “when fishermen cannot go to sea, they mend their nets”, this has always been the normal routine for artisanal fishers.

It was a bright Thursday morning in Elmina, a historic fishing community in the Central part of Ghana. Many fishermen are embarking on what has become a routine – mending and fixing their nets for another fishing expedition when I visited.

Forty-Six year-old fisherman, Mr. John Botse, has been in the fishing business since the 1990s, more than half his life here in Elmina.

Fishing is the only business trade he knows. Mr Botse worriedly expressed acerbically that, “I have been in this fishing business since 1990, and our major problem in this business is the issue of ‘Saiko’.

He added, “it takes tons to go for fishing, if the catches are not profitable, we end up incurring debts. The authorities have turned deaf ears to our demands for action.”

The worrying situation according to the fishermen there have compelled them to employ many ways both accepted and unacceptable practices.

“Therefore, we try any possible way, the use of light to bring something home to cater for ourselves and families”, he revealed.

Though he admitted the practice is unacceptable, Mr Mensah continued that the situation is the only best option he can explore to survive.

“It is illegal to fish with light and chemicals in Ghana, we know the harm associated with it but “Saiko” leaves us with no option. Light and chemicals enable us fish all year round against all expectations”, said a 20 years experienced Elmina-based fisherman.

According available literature, light attraction is the technique of aggregating fish by artificial light; and light fishing is the process of fishing the attracted fish by hooking, gill-netting or by any other gear. The light source may be by means of a fire torch, pressure kerosene lamp, gas lit lamp and battery or generator assisted incandescent lamp.

Currently the light fishing operations in Ghana use mainly the purse seine gear with a small size generator powering the incandescent lamp.

The species they target are mainly the small pelagic fish. Pelagic fish are fish that spend most of their time swimming in midwater and the surface of the water. Some of the most important groups of fish caught with light attraction are Small pelagic fish of the herring group like herring, and sardinella. Mackerels, young fish of the bonito and tuna family and the smaller horse-mackerels are also targets.

This development has generated some conflict between the inshore and the canoe operators. The reduced catches over the past couple of years, especially with the canoe fishers, have caused them to accuse the inshore operators of light as the reason for their declining catches.

The small pelagic industry in Ghana depend on the surface shoaling of the pelagic species during the cold season or period of water instability, which occurs from mid-June to September when water surface temperature is below 25 degrees celcius, this is according to a 2004 report by the Marine Fisheries Research Division (MFRD) on the observations of commercial light fishing operation in Ghana.

The report continues that around September to December was the period when light fishing was most conducive because at these times the fish appear in scattered formation and light would be needed to aggregate them.

But the situation is different now, both Botse and Mensah and other fishermen today are now doing it (light fishing) all fishing year round.

In an aquatic environment, fish respond to visual stimulation by moving towards a light source to form a cluster, mostly to feed and spawn and it becomes easier to catch them through that.

Fishing with light attracting-equipment spurs on overfishing which ejects a weighty threat to conservation of marine resources and biodiversity.

The way forward

The 2020 edition of the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture Report reiterates that in places where fisheries management is not in place, or is ineffective, the status of fish stocks is poor and deteriorating – a clear picture of Ghana fisheries sector.

The Report suggests that, “the only solution to ensure sustainable fisheries is to adopt mechanisms that would support the effective implementation of policy and management regulations.”

Ghana’s fisheries sector is regimented by series of laws enacted by parliament, fisheries regulations and their amendments, as well as structures of governance.

In spite of all their restraints, Ghana’s fish stocks are rapidly diminishing largely as a result of illegal fishing practices.

Therefore, government support to enforce the regulatory measures is a key element to curb illegal fishing in Ghana.

Report by Eunice Osei | SOA Ghana Fellow

This report was supported by Sustainable Ocean Alliance Ocean Solutions Microgrant

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Morris Johnson is one of the numerous plastic waste collectors at Agbogbloshie, a suburb of Accra. Like all other waste collectors, Morris plays a vital role in the waste management and the recycling industry. However, despite their important contribution to the plastic supply chain, waste collectors are constantly stigmatised and undervalued.

Morris earns a living by collecting plastic bottles from the Korle Lagoon at Agbogbloshie. A significant amount of trash (plastic waste) that ends up in the Korle Lagoon originates from the major towns in Accra through the Odaw River. The Korle Lagoon collects all those urban junks and empties them into the Gulf of Guinea, northeast of the Atlantic Ocean.

“Usually after it rains, the water carries all the plastics bottles and other trash from all over the city and empties them here, into the Korle Lagoon. When that happens, you’ll see the bottles floating on the surface so I just pick the neat ones, gather them and sell them to get my daily bread. Sometimes when the bottles are too far to reach, I use a stick to pull them close to me,” Morris said as he recounted his daily experiences on the job.

Plastic waste collectors work under terrible conditions. They risk their lives by diving into the heavily polluted Korle Lagoon to retrieve plastic bottles. “My work is very difficult but I don’t have a choice… Sometimes if I’m not careful the water can take me away… We find dead bodies in the water all the time. There was a guy who drowned during the coronavirus lockdown period. (buy Diazepam) He thought he was standing on a firm ground not knowing it was a pile of trash. So, he just sank into the water and nobody has seen him since then.” Morris narrated.

The bottles these collectors pick up are sold to recycling companies, which are then taken through a rigorous process of recycling to be used again and again for new products. However, these collectors are given meager amounts as payments for their hard work. “I pick the bottles with my hand… I pack them into mosquito nets and sell them… For each mosquito net I sell, they give me GH₵30 [an equivalent of $5].”

In addition to their unfair wages, plastic waste collectors are constantly stigmatised and undervalued. Just like frontline health workers fighting against the Covid-19 pandemic, plastic collectors are frontline workers fighting ocean pollution. They are not recognized for the important role they play in defending our ecosystem.

“Some people don’t even come close to us because of the work we do. They think they’re better than us simply because we collect plastics from dirty water. Others don’t even respect us,” a partner of Morris said.

Researchers have estimated that about 8 million metric tonnes of plastic end up in the world’s ocean every year. The World Economic Forum equates this to emptying the contents of one garbage truck into the ocean every minute. And by 2050, this is estimated to increase to four garbage trucks every minute.

A 2016 research by Dyck I. suggests that plastic waste accounts for 63% of marine debris in the Gulf of Guinea. This is a reminder of what is at stake if there is not a concerted effort to deal with plastic pollution around the world.

Read Also: Catching Plastics: How fishers in Ghana are battling ocean pollution for survival

The work of plastic waste collectors like Morris Johnson provides an important solution to plastic pollution and presents a lucrative venture for employment. Their effort must be recognized, encouraged and celebrated.

This report was produced with support from Sustainable Ocean Alliance Ocean Solutions Micro-Grant.

Report by Claudia Adusei, | SOA Ghana Fellow

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The marine plastic litter recently hit the front burner, when the Africa Blue Economy Forum (ABEF) revealed that plastic pollution alone costs $13 billion a year in damages to marine ecosystems.

The forum in its documents detailing its preparation for the 2019 edition in Tunis, said: “90 per cent of ocean plastic waste originates from Asia and Africa, mainly due to mismanagement of waste and can be traced to just 10 rivers, including river Niger,”

According to ABEF, oceans are increasingly being recognised as a major driver of the world’s economic development, but conservative estimates for the next 12 years suggest that the ocean economy would add yearly global value of around $3 trillion and contribute some 40 million direct full time jobs to the global labour market.

It noted that African governments have a major role to play in tackling ocean pollution and plastic waste in particular, noting that Africa is the second largest continent with 26,000 nautical miles of coastlines and maritime zones under its jurisdiction, totaling 13 million km2.

It stressed that linking the issue of ocean pollution with the blue economy development approach could help meet its targets set out in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs and the Africa Union’s Vision 2063).

Founder & CEO, Blue Jay Communication, Mrs Leila Ben Hassen, said among the important actions to achieve a sustainable blue economy was to strengthen pan-African partnerships and encourage more international collaboration.

“Hence we have decided to focus in this edition on developing more synergies between private and public sectors, between regional and international companies, attracting experts and investors in the blue economy sectors, and, ultimately, creating more job opportunities for Africa’s youth and women,” she stated.

Meanwhile, iWatch Africa is set to unveil an ambitious initiative dedicated to promoting ocean conservation and protection of marine resources before close of 2020.

Co-founder of iWatch Africa, Gideon Sarpong explained that the new initiative, “will work closely with the Fisheries Commission and Ghana Maritime Authority as well as other relevant institutions in Ghana to deal with ocean conservation, over-fishing and education of the public on dangers of improper disposal of plastic waste.”

United Nation’s Environment estimates that 15 per cent of marine litter floats on the sea’s surface, 15 per cent remains in the water column and 70 per cent rests on the seabed.

According to another study, about 5.25 million plastic particles, weighing 268,940 tonnes in total, are currently floating in the world’s oceans.

Another concerned agency, Ocean Unite stated: “The vast swirls of plastic rubbish visible on the sea surface – horrifying as they are – represent just the tip of the iceberg. What lies beneath are the masses of micro beads and broken-down particles of plastic that are easily ingested by sea creatures, and impossible to remove.

“The urgently needed solution calls for a combination of enhanced awareness, reduced plastic use, and massively improved waste management. The most effective way to have less plastic in the Ocean is to use less plastic in the first place,” it stated.

Credit: iWatch Africa

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