Abstract:
The biological and economic factors that influence the semi-industrial fishery, one of the three major subsectors of the fishing industry in Ghana, was studied from November 2020 to May 2021, in order to determine the most efficient management and optimize policy for the fishery. Historical catch, effort and revenue data from 1980 to 2019 were obtained from the Fisheries Scientific Survey Division (FSSD), Ghana. Structured questionnaire and interviews were used in collecting primary data from fisher folks, some key informants and stakeholders along the value chain. The Gordon Schaefer surplus production model based on the empirical data on the semi-industrial fishery, was applied to determine the static reference points of the model and the results were discussed. Gross Margin analysis was also used to evaluate for the profitability of the fishery at each node of the value chain.
The results revealed a steady decline in CPUE over the period (1980-2018) which may be symptomatic of overexploitation of the fishery. In spite of the fact that the current (2018) fishery reference situation had not exceeded optimum level yet, the trends revealed that, in the past years the fishery had experienced gross economic overfishing. The poor economic conditions forced most of the fishers to move out of the fishery, thereby reaching the current reference point. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities (e.g. Saiko) and high cost of fuel (marine gas oil) have been the major challenges impeding the proper management of the fishery, putting the fishery at the verge of vulnerability against changing climatic and economic conditions. Hence, the current study calls for policy intervention to rescue the stock from the existing high fishing pressure that would lead to depletion.
