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Ghana Fishing
Fishing increased considerably in the late 1960s, from 105,100
tons of marine fish caught in 1967 to 230,100 tons in 1971. In 1982
the yield was 234,100 tons, composed of 199,100 tons of marine
varieties and 35,000 tons of freshwater fish from Lake Volta. The
industry was hit by fuel shortages, inadequate storage facilities,
and the general economic difficulties of the 1970s and the 1980s.
Nevertheless, by 1988 the fish catch was 302,900 tons; by 1991 it
amounted to 289,675 tons, down from more than 319,000 tons in 1990.
Large-scale poaching by foreign vessels has severely depleted
fish stocks in Ghana's 200-nautical-mile maritime Exclusive
Economic Zone, causing major government concern. The most affected
stocks are sea bottom-feeding fish. Tuna stocks reportedly remain
unaffected. A 1992 Ministry of Food and Agriculture report
recommended that the government accelerate mobilization of
surveillance and enforcement units and step up regulation of
trawler fleets. That same year, the government passed a fisheries
law to curb overfishing and to help protect the marine environment.
Fishermen were banned from catching specified shellfish, and all
fishing vessel operators were required to obtain licenses. The law
provided for a regulatory body--the Fisheries Monitoring, Control,
Surveillance, and Enforcement Unit--as well as a fisheries advisory
council. These organizations, however, both of which are
underfunded and undermanned, are unlikely to stop illegal fishing
activities anytime soon.
Data as of November 1994
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