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The development of aquaculture and culture based fisheries in Ghana: the social and cultural contexts

Year of publication 1991

Pages 32

Author MacPherson, N.J.,Agyenim-Boateng, C.E.;Fisheries and Aquaculture Management Division

Product type Project

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Agriculture, forestry and fishing are important sectors of Ghana's economy and improvement in the performance of these sectors is central to the country's current economic recovery programme.1 The severe economic decline which the country went through between the early 1970's and the early 1980's affected poorer socio-economic groups in particular 2 through depressed wage levels and increased unemployment. Also between the late 1970's and the early 1980's , there was a serious decline in nationa l food production and food shortages, which were caused by drought, were exacerbated through the enforced repatriation of over one million Ghanaians in 1983 from Nigeria. In spite of efforts to increase national food production, the country has had to rely to a significant extent on imports, often in the form of food aid, to maintain adequate supplies. Some dependence on imports still exists 3 and the country's relatively high consumption of fish has meant that food imports have included subst antial quantities of fish and fish products. Supplies of marine fish from national sources are now limited because of the full exploitation of national stocks and the more restricted access to the waters of other African countries, such as Angola, Namibia and Mauritania. Against this background and with the prospect of further increases in demand from a growing population, any means of expanding the national production of fish is obviously of interest.

Cite this content as:

MacPherson, N.J.; Agyenim-Boateng, C.E. Mar 1991. The development of aquaculture and culture based fisheries in Ghana: the social and cultural contexts - Based on the work of N.J. MacPherson, C.E. Agyenim-Boateng. Rome (Italy). 32 p.

Language English

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    Technical assistance and investment framework for culture-based fisheries in Ghana 1991
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    Ghana has a vast area of inland waters amounting to more than 1 million ha that will continue to be a much more important source of fish than can be supplied by fish farming for the foreseeable future. The estimated potential is about 65,000 t. In order to reach even 20% (13,000 t) of this by fish farming, a total pond surface of 3,250 ha yielding 4000 kg/ha/y would be required. This compares with a present operational pond surface of 209 ha and a yield estimated at about 300 t. Clearly, the man agement and further development of inland fisheries will continue to be an important objective along side the acceleration of the expansion of aquaculture. At present the amount of surface area in which CBF is best justified is relatively small and consists mainly of artificial water bodies in the northern part of the country where stocking and species enhancements can make an important impact on food security, income and employment in an area that is less well off than the rest of the country . Even in the northern part of the country it appears that many of the water bodies which are the potential targets of CBF are self-replenishing and are thus of low priority for stocking. Therefore, encouragement of fishing in water bodies not already fished and promotion of year around fishing in those only fished once per year is a higher priority than stocking.
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