Business News of Monday, 25 September 2017
Source: citifmonline.com
2017-09-25
Ghana’s fishing stock will continue to see a further decline in the coming months – Research
Ghana’s fishing stock will continue to see a further decline in the coming months. The disturbing development was revealed by the University of Cape Coast’s Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences who say not much can be done to save the situation.
According to research conducted by the department the decline is due to climate change.
Climate change which has led to a rise in temperature of the sea has started reducing the stock of fish along the cost as they migrate to cooler areas. Professor Aggrey Fynn an associate Professor of the department contends that the country should brace itself for an even further decline along the coast as they will not be able to survive in the new temperatures of the sea.
Challenges facing fisher folk
Anlo beach Community located in the Western Region near Shama has been drastically affected by the rise in sea level which has evaded their land and washed away countless homes and livelihoods of the people there.
One of the fishermen in the area explained how the rise in sea level has impacted fishing activities in the community.
”….The sea has taken over our land and we are now in a helpless state. Fortunately the government has given us a piece of land which is uphill so we know we will be safe there.
However we will continue to fish here whiles we dwell in our new settlement. One other thing that troubles me is the money we will have to spend in building our new homes on the other piece of land and also the safety of our fishing gear which will be left behind, I fear that they might be washed away over night by the sea whiles we are away.
The rise in sea level has brought us a lot of problems and has also reduced the number of fish we catch drastically, sometimes I catch nothing at all”. He said. Madam Aku Amegatse, a seventy year old lady who has been processing fish in the community for the past 19 years also laments about how the rise in sea level has impacted her life and business.
“Previously there were long intervals between the sea evading our homes but it has now become a daily thing, it has affected my business as the shed in which I used to smoke my fish has been washed away, also the fishermen do not catch as many fish as before.”
Solutions to deal with challenges
Ghana, which consumes over 950,000 metric tons of fish annually, currently imports over 60 percent of its fish and in 2016 imported 135 million dollars’ worth of fish because of the reduction in the country’s fish stock. Professor Fyn however believes Ghana should adopt the taste for the few varieties of fish that will remain along the coast in order not to increase the country already high imports of fish.
He adds that government should relook at the period for the country’s closed season of fishing to increase the yield of fish.
