By Nelson Ayivor
Stakeholders in the fisheries sector across Ghana’s coastline are calling for a review of the country’s closed fishing season policy to better reflect local realities, traditional knowledge, and livelihood needs.
The call was made during separate stakeholder validation and engagement forums held on Tuesday, January 27 and Wednesday, January 28, in Cape Coast, Central region and Denu, Volta region respectively.
It was under the Indigenous and Scientific Integration for Sustainable Fisheries Knowledge (ISIPSK) or the Sankofa project.
The forum brought together fishermen, fish mongers, fishing gear dealers, traditional leaders, and representatives of the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC) and the Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association (CaFGOAG) to discuss findings from a recent research conducted along the Central and Volta Region coastlines.
Presenting the findings, lead researcher, Dr. Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood of the University of St Andrews, Scotland, working in collaboration with the Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana (CaFGOAG), Fisheries Commission and the Fisheries Committee for the West and Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) explained that the research engaged 207 men and women from various fishing communities in the two regions.
According to her, the engagement aimed at ensuring that communities that contributed data had direct access to the findings to enable informed dialogue with policymakers.
“The overall findings show that the fishing closed season has had a negative impact on livelihoods, increasing household stress, particularly for women, affecting school attendance, and contributing to the rise in social vices,” Dr. Okafor-Yarwood stated.
She noted that respondents who did not feel the impact of the closed season had supplementary livelihood sources, while those solely dependent on fishing suffered the most.
While acknowledging the importance of conservation, fishers argued that the July closed season does not align with the natural sea conditions in the two regional basins.
They proposed that, if a closure is necessary, it should be observed in June, when the sea is naturally rough and fishing activities are already limited.
Participants also called for the revival of indigenous conservation practices, including traditional rituals such as “nudedepu,”animal sacrifices performed to appease sea deities, which fishers believe historically ensured abundance and bumper catches.
They further recommended the restoration of traditional rest days, especially Tuesdays, with some suggesting Sundays as an additional rest day.
Fishers Decry Illegal Industrial Fishing
During open discussions, several fishermen expressed frustration over what they described as selective enforcement of fisheries laws.
They alleged that while artisanal fishers are restricted by the closed season, industrial fishing vessels continue large-scale illegal activities offshore, including light fishing and destructive trawling.
“The government denies us our daily income through the closed season, yet the big vessels continue fishing deep in the sea,” one fisherman lamented. “We naturally observe sea closures, but the law punishes only the poor man.”
Some participants even called for stricter sanctions, including the seizure of offending industrial vessels, to ensure fairness.
Call for Support and Inclusive Policy
Participants unanimously called for supplementary livelihood support during closed seasons, stronger involvement of traditional authorities, fair and consistent enforcement of fisheries laws as well as policies that integrate indigenous knowledge with scientific evidence.
The engagement formed part of broader efforts to create synergy between indigenous practices and scientific knowledge in managing fisheries resources along Ghana’s coastal regions.
As pressures on marine resources intensify, stakeholders insist that inclusive, locally informed policies are key to sustaining both fish stocks and fishing communities along Ghana’s eastern coastline.
