Let’s stop huge losses to illegal fishing

Ghana loses an estimated $200 million annually as a result of foreign fishing vessels operating illegally in the country’s waters, an official of the EU-funded Enhanced Maritime Action in the Gulf of Guinea Project (EnMAR), Emmanuelle Lécuyer, disclosed recently in Accra, at a training programme on maritime security and the blue economy.

This loss in the Gulf of Guinea, which most definitely include the loss of fish stock and revenue that would have otherwise accrued to the country, also include but not limited to the destruction of habitat, loss of biodiversity and imbalance of the ecosystem.

Indeed, it also results in overfishing which depletes fish populations faster than they can be replenished, while the use of destructive and prohibited fishing gear can damage marine habitats, such as coral reefs and seafloors.

Also, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) practices result in the unintentional catch of non-target species, including vulnerable or endangered ones like sharks and sea turtles, as well as disrupt the marine food web and lead to the loss of key species that play crucial roles in the ecosystem.

Not only that; IUU fishing has socioeconomic impacts, aggravating threats to food security as it reduces the availability of a vital protein source for millions of people, particularly in coastal and developing communities.

It results in economic impacts too, as it deprives legitimate, law-abiding fishers and industries of income and revenue, creating an unfair market environment.

This invariably leads to poverty in fishing communities that depend on the marine species for their livelihoods.

Worse still, IUU further impacts human rights and security because vessels engaged in it are often associated with severe human rights abuses, including forced labour, debt bondage and slavery at sea.

Workers on IUU vessels also often endure dangerous and inhumane conditions, and studies have shown that IUU fishing mostly provides a cover for other illicit activities, such as drug and arms trafficking.

Unfortunately, the devastation caused by IUU fishing is frequently lost on most people, which is referred to as sea blindness, and this situation often leaves things to chance till the effect is almost irreversible.

However, as espoused at the training programme, the depletion and destruction of marine species, plus the other effects as a result of IUU is real and needs to be tackled head on, to save humanity from destruction and extinction.

We cannot afford to show indifference anymore, because we depend so much on the ocean and the species therein for our sustenance.

As truthfully elucidated by Ms Lécuyer at the training, the Gulf of Guinea maritime domain holds so much global importance, with approximately 80 per cent of international trade passing through its routes.

Nonetheless, the region is severely plagued by piracy, drug trafficking (nearly 60 kilogrammes of illicit drugs were intercepted at Ghanaian ports in 2022 alone), and other crimes influenced by IUU vessels, which need the attention of all stakeholders.

We urge all countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea; Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, and Togo, to pay particular attention to illegalities along their stretch and deal with them immediately.

The Daily Graphic especially calls on West African countries: Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo, to commit resources in a regional and international cooperation to deal with the menace.

The revelation by the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Godwin Livinus Bessing, that the financial loss from illegal fishing had been compounded by the lack of political will along the Gulf of Guinea to address security needs, and that a crucial project to acquire two offshore patrol vessels for Ghana which had been advocated since 2010 was yet to be implemented, is very instructive.

It explains why the fight against IUU has still not been won in Ghana and by the maritime authorities along the Gulf of Guinea maritime domain.

That is why we call for greater government support in Ghana and the other countries to nip the challenge in the bud.