Ghana Government Under Growing Pressure on Illegal Fishing

A transshipment of fish at sea off Ghana’s coast. Fishing communities are reeling under the impact of industrial trawlers that target the traditional staple catch of the country’s canoe fishers. Image via Environmental Justice Foundation

The European Union is putting pressure on Ghana to tackle illegal fishing in its waters, threatening its access to the lucrative European seafood market. In 2021, the EU issued a so-called yellow card, saying that if Ghana doesn’t improve fisheries management, it could face seafood-related sanctions.

Accra has been slow in curbing aggressive fishing from Chinese fleets in its waters. Their activities are boosted by subsidies from China’s central government, as well as from various coastal provincial governments, who are competing to support locally-registered distant fishing companies.

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by Cobus van Staden

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