Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

is made up of both ocean caught fish, as well as freshwater fishing in lakes and rivers.

History

The fishing industry's total catch 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 Lake Volta, the largest artificial reservoir in the world based on surface area, is contained behind the Akosombo Dam which generates a substantial amount of Ghana's electricity. It is completely within the country of Ghana and has a surface area ...

. The industry was hit by fuel shortages, inadequate storage facilities, and the general economic difficulties of the 1970s and the 1980s. In 1988 the fish catch was 302,900 tons. In 1991 the catch was 289,675 tons, down from more than 319,000 tons in 1990.Clark, Nancy L. "Agriculture" (and subchapters).
A Country Study: Ghana
' (La Verle Berry, editor).

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Federal Research Division The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress. The Federal Research Division provides directed research and analysis on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the Unite ...

(November 1994). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

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' Large-scale

poaching Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

by foreign vessels has severely depleted fish stocks in Ghana's maritime Exclusive Economic Zone, causing major government concern. The most affected stocks are sea bottom-feeding fish.

Tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max length: ...

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. In 1992 the government passed a fisheries law to curb

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing fish stock), resulting in th ...

and to help protect the marine environment. Fishermen were banned from catching specified

shellfish Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater envir ...

, 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 Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries. Illegal fishing takes pl ...

activities anytime soon.

Kinds of Fishing

* Industrial Fishing * Marine

Artisanal fishing Artisanal fishing (or traditional/subsistence fishing) consists of various small-scale, low-technology, low-capital, fishing practices undertaken by individual fishing households (as opposed to commercial fishing). Many of these households are o ...

* Inland Canoe Fishing Industrial and artisanal fishermen fish the ocean.

are small scale fishing practices undertaken by households or individuals. The Volta Lake is the main source of inland fishery in Ghana.The potential of aquaculture in Ghana is important, the actual estimated production reached about 9,000 tons mainly with Tilapia production. The potential for cage culturing for tilapia is steadily increasing.

Fishing Communities

Some Fishing Communities in Eastern Region include: * Sumuner * Odortorm * Petefour * Odomeabra * Nketepa * Nrahponya * Adakope * Adakope * Troameleveme * Gonyokope * Agaradzi * Abuakwa * Kwahu East These communities are heavily rely on fish for sustenance, income and

food security Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World F ...

Inland Fishing Centers in Ghana

* Lake Volta * Bosomtwi * Weija * Barekese * Tano * Oti * Afram * Bortianor (Tsokome) * Faana Village Beach * Oshie * Korkrobite * Pra * Densu * Vea * Kpong

Contribution of Fishing towards the Ghanaian Economy

The Fishing sector of the country plays an important role contributing significantly to national economic development objectives related to employment, livelihood support, poverty reduction, food security, foreign exchange earnings and resource sustainability. The sector is estimated to contribute 3% of the total GDP and 5% of the GDP in agriculture. About 10% of the country's population is engaged in various aspects of the fishing industry.

Future Plans For the Ghanaian Fishing Industry

The current president of Ghana, Nana Akuffo Addo, created a ministry of fisheries and agricultural development in Ghana. On the 9th of April 2018, The current Minister of the Fishery sector in Ghana, Francis Kinsley Ato Cudjoe, announced the “One house, one tank” program which is bound to take effect from May. With this, every house is to own one fish tank. This goes a long way to encourage tank farming across the nation. Again, the encouragement of youth programs to encourage fish farming as a means of reducing the estimated 930,000 metric tons of fishes being imported annually.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fishing In Ghana Environmental issues in Ghana