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Illegal fishing by foreign trawlers decimates Ghana's fish populations and costs the country's economy tens of millions of dollars a year, according to researchers.
A survey released Monday by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) states that the "saiko" fishery, where trawlers target the basic catch of Ghana's canoe fishermen and resell it to fishing communities, landed approximately 100,000 tonnes of fish in 2017 valued at $ 50 million (£ 40 million) when sold at sea and up to $ 81 million when sold at the port.
This practice precipitates the collapse of Ghana's staple fish stock, small pelagic fish such as sardinella, an essential protein in the local diet. Scientists have warned that stocks could be completely destroyed by 2020, said Steve Trent, executive director of the EJF.
"It's an organized corporate crime," Trent said.
"Saiko is easy to operate under cover. If trawlers arrive at the port and land fish for which they are not allowed to fish, government agencies have no choice but to act. But by using fewer small boats to bring the frozen fish back to shore, the catch is claimed to be legitimate and legal when it is clearly not. "
According to the EFJ, over 90% of Ghana's industrial trawler fleet is tied to Chinese owners, who depend on Ghanaian "frontline" companies to circumvent national laws banning their exploitation.
In order to measure the extent of saiko's catches, a UK-based charity filmed illegal transhipments at sea and monitored landings at ports.
In 2017, 76 industrial trawlers caught the same amount of fish as 12,000 artisbad pirogues, according to the EFJ. In addition to authorized catches, trawlers use illegal nets to catch fish closer to the coast, normally reserved for artisbad fishermen, the organization said. At night, they transfer this catch into specially made "saiko" canoes, only one of which can catch as many fish as 450 artisbad canoes, according to the report's authors.
Landings of industrial trawlers compared to artisbad canoes in Ghana in 2017
According to the report, only 40% of all trawl catches in 2017 have been landed legally, making the rest of the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing illegal.
Saiko was originally a means for trawlers to resell unwanted bycatch while they were trawling larger species, such as octopus and squid, for export abroad. But the trawlers are now deliberately targeting the fish for resale to fishing communities because of the profits they're earning, said Kofi Agbogah, director of the Ghana-based NGO, Hen Mpoano, who co-authored the report. .
"The incomes of artisbad fishermen have dropped by 40% over the last 10-15 years and Ghana is now forced to import more than half of the fish consumed," Agbogah said.
"Transshipments of fish at sea are notoriously difficult to control, even with the most advanced systems in place. Instead, all catches should be landed at authorized ports and recorded in official statistics. This would also ensure compliance with fishing gear restrictions that prevent trawlers from targeting small pelagics. "
Since small-scale fishing employs more than 100,000 fishermen in hundreds of coastal villages, saiko also has a serious impact on local jobs, the report says, consolidating power among a few. Out of 100,000 metric tons of fish caught, saiko provides only 1.5 jobs, 40 times less than artisbad fishing, according to the EFJ.
As saiko catches are mostly juvenile fish, the report warned that Ghana's fish populations will have trouble rebuilding.
China is now Ghana's largest trading partner (bilateral trade was £ 6.7 billion in 2017), as well as its main source of investment: China recently announced a contribution of nearly £ 20 billion for the "agricultural and industrial transformation" of the African country.
China's distant water fishing fleet is the largest in the world and operates more vessels in West African waters than any other country. But the operations are notoriously below the table. About two-thirds of Chinese vessels fishing in West African waters are engaged in illegal fishing, resulting in billions of dollars in revenue loss and rapidly reducing fish stocks. China has recently been ranked as the worst offender for IUU fishing on a world index of 152 countries. Yet Beijing continues to provide subsidies and licenses to its distant water fleet.
Observers questioned the ability of Chinese ships to operate with impunity while their effects are so devastating for the fishery and the people of Ghana.
"There is a general perception that public officials [in Ghana] are side by side or complicit in the illegal operations of certain [of the] industrial fishing vessels, "said Kwame Adu Agyekum, Ghana Fisheries Officer for the EU-backed Global Monitoring and Security Project – Africa, which monitors coastal vulnerability and fishing traffic.
"The problem of our inability to reduce or prevent pirate fishing is largely due to insufficient human capacity and weak institutions to enforce laws."
While local fishermen are trying to recover what is left, they are also turning to illegal methods, says the EFJ, with the use of lights, dynamite and toxic chemicals increasing exponentially and resulting in further destruction of water. 'environment.
"It does not protect the sea," said Nana Kweku Ansa, chief fisherman of Gomoa Mankoadze. "But if that's the reason we should stop these practices, then the government has to send the Chinese home. The sea belongs to us. So why are we allowing them to destroy it like this?
Failure to act on the part of the Ghanaian authorities could spell the impending disaster, Trent said.
"We are quickly coming to a situation where people will be forced to migrate because of the lack of local economic and food alternatives. It's tragic and totally useless.
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