Densu Delta opens for oyster harvesting

The Densu Delta in the Ga South Municipality has opened for the 2020 oyster harvesting season after implementing a successful third consecutive oyster closed season.

The oyster closed season, which began on November 15, 2019 and lasted for five months, was instituted as part of the co-management measures to ensure a sustainable exploitation of the oyster resource in the Densu Delta.

A media release issued in Accra by the Development Action Association (DAA), a women empowerment organisation, said this year’s oyster harvesting season had come at a time when many of the women harvesters were facing the economic impact of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The harvesters were sensitised through a virtual medium to observe the government’s stipulated health safety measures, including social distancing and hand washing during the harvesting, processing and selling of the oysters.

“At this period when most fisher folks’ activities have been curtailed due to the pandemic, oyster harvesting will continue to supplement the family’s nutritional needs and also provide some additional income from the sale of excess harvested oysters within the local community,” it said.

It added that the women were very optimistic that this year’s oyster harvesting would be very successful as initial harvesting expeditions had shown signs of positive prospects.

Good Results
The Head of Programmes, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Development Action Association (DAA), Mr Abraham Asare, said the closure of the Densu Delta had shown good results.

He, however, said in spite of the successful closure of the Densu Delta, traders in oyster harvesting were faced with financial challenges since their source of livelihood had been taken away from them.

Background
The Densu Oyster Pickers Association (DOPA), the DAA, the Fisheries Commission of Ghana under the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), the Wild Life division of the Forestry Commission of Ghana, the Weija Dam Authority, the traditional authorities from Sakumo We, Bortianor, Tsokomey, Tetegu and other stakeholders developed a co-management plan in 2017 to guide the management and oyster harvesting activities under the Sustainable Fisheries Management Project (SFMP), with funding support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Currently, DOPA’s membership includes over 200 women who share and make decisions about the sustainable management of their oysters.

These community folks depend on the oyster harvesting at the Densu Delta to support their livelihood and their families from the four main harvesting communities of Bortianor, Chorkomey, Tetegu and Faana, all in the Ga South Municipality.

The successful implementation of a third oyster closed season is significant since it marks the continuation of the key management measures of the Densu Delta Oyster Community Co-Management Plan with less support or intervention of the USAID/SFMP.