“Fisheries play a crucial role in supporting livelihoods and food security in Ghana. While there is a sizable industrial fishing fleet, more than two-thirds
of Ghana’s total marine fish catch is accounted for by artisanal fishers. These
fishers now share Ghana’s marine domain with the country’s emerging oil
sector, an industry that has raised hopes of a significant economic boost
for the country while at the same time eliciting concerns around potential
environmental and social impacts. This paper explores the relationship
between Ghana’s oil and gas sector and the artisanal fishery sector,
highlighting areas where greater co-operation may support improved trust
between stakeholders and contribute to the long-term sustainability of Ghana’s
artisanal fisheries. The current debate focuses on minimising negative impacts
of the oil sector, but the paper argues for a more constructive engagement
that would see effective partnerships addressing the broad set of stressors
and challenges currently facing the artisanal fisheries sector. Increasingly,
stakeholders are accepting that the oil sector is not the most important threat
to the long-term sustainability of Ghana’s small-scale fisheries. However,
more needs to be done to explore opportunities through which the oil sector,
together with government authorities and other stakeholders, can support
artisanal fisheries in addressing the core challenges facing the sector. These
challenges include fleet overcapacity, the widespread use of illegal fishing
gears, climate change, pollution, a lack of research to inform fisheries
management decision-making, and a lack of marine protected areas to
support stock recovery”
