Decline in fish catches threatens livelihoods of West African fishing communities

WEST AFRICA – Fishing communities along the west African coast are facing a significant decline in average fish catches, posing a grave threat to their traditional livelihoods.

For generations, fishers have relied on launching their wooden canoes into the Gulf of Guinea, spanning from Côte d’Ivoire to Nigeria, to catch small pelagic fish like sardines and anchovies.

However, since the 1990s, a notable decline in catch has jeopardized their ability to make a living.

In Ghana, for instance, the total landings of small pelagic fish have witnessed a staggering 59% decrease between 1993 and 2019, despite increased fishing efforts.

The decline is particularly evident in species like Sardinella aurita, which has seen its landings plummet from 119,000 tonnes in 1992 to just 11,834 tonnes in 2019.

Similarly, Côte d’Ivoire has experienced a parallel decline in fisheries, with its catch dropping by nearly 40% between 2003 and 2020.

Among the myriad of threats facing these fishing communities, the impact of ocean warming is often underestimated.

While land experiences significant warming, roughly 90% of the extra heat trapped by greenhouse gases is absorbed into the ocean.

Another contributing factor to the decline in fish catches is the lax regulation of international fishing trawlers.

Despite laws in countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire preventing foreign trawlers from fishing within national exclusive economic zones, Chinese trawlers circumvent these regulations by using local companies as legal fronts.

Chinese-owned vessels, disguised as Ghanaian companies, now dominate over 90% of Ghana’s licensed bottom trawlers, contributing to overfishing and damage to fish stocks.

To add to that, the number of canoes engaged in ocean fishing has multiplied sevenfold since 1950, driven by rapid population growth and migrations towards the coast.

Today’s canoes are equipped with larger nets, bigger crews, and powerful outboard engines, further straining fish stocks.

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