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China-Africa Trade Information Service
info.afrindex.com
China-Africa Trade Information Service
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Ghana is located along the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa, bordering Côte d' Ivoire in the west and Togo in the East. With a large number of fish resources, up to 2.2 million people depend on fisheries for their livelihoods. However, due to the overexploitation of fish resources, Ghana needs to rely on imports to meet demand.
Ghana has a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles (Nm), a contiguous zone of 24 Nm and an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 200 Nm, covering an area of 225.000 km2. With this combination of valuable attributes, and a 550-kilometre coastline which stretches from Aflao in the East to Half Assini in the West, Ghana’s fisheries sector contributes significantly towards sustainable livelihoods, food security and poverty reduction.
The fisheries sector in Ghana is estimated to contribute 3% to the total GDP and 5% of the value of agricultural production. About 10% of the country's population is engaged in various aspects of the fishing industry.
MARINE FISHERIES PRODUCTION
The structure of the marine fishing industry in Ghana can be categorized into four identifiable groups, namely the artisanal, semi-industrial (inshore sector), industrial (deep sea) and tuna-targeting fleets. The pelagic species mainly go for local consumption, while a large share of tuna is exported.
INLAND FISHERIES PRODUCTION
The inland fishery is considered as small-scale/artisanal. The Lake Volta reservoirs and coastal lagoons are the main sources of inland or freshwater fish. There are about 80.000 fishermen and 20.000 fish processors and traders engaged in the Lake Volta fishery. There are 17.500 canoes actively fishing in the Lake Volta. The fishing gears used are: cast and gillnets, hook and line, traps, spears and atidja (brush park). The inland fisheries catch was 142.000 tonnes in 2016.
AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION
Aquaculture has only recently emerged as an assured way of meeting the deficit in Ghana's fish demand. It is seen as the more sustainable way to bridge the gap between domestic demand and supply. The aquaculture sub-sector comprises mainly small-scale subsistence farmers who practice extensive aquaculture in earthen ponds. The species produced in Ghanaian aquaculture is mainlyNile tilapia, and North African catfish and African bonytongue in small volumes. Nile tilapia is the main species produced through
aquaculture with a harvest volume of 50.900 tonnes, which represents 97% of the total aquaculture production (52.480 tonnes) in 2016. The aquaculture production of tilapia has grown steadily, since 2010 when only 9.400 tonnes were harvested.
EXPORT
Tuna represents the main fisheries product currently exported from Ghana. Stocks, managed by the ICCAT, can sustain current catch levels from industrial purse seiners and pole-and-line vessels. The export of fisheries products from Ghana has fluctuated in recent years, with a large increase from 2016 to 2017. The largest EU importer of products from Ghana is currently the UK which imports mostly canned tuna.Tuna is mainly exported as frozen whole or in cans to China, Iran, Thailand and the EU.
Ghana's fish demand is presently higher than domestic supply, making Ghana a net importer of fish. With a high fish consumption per capita (25 kg/year per capita), Ghana imports fish from countries worldwide.
Ghana's fish and seafood imports in 2018 grew to about US$ 311.4 million on account of increasing demand and dwindling fish stocks, and the country imported an estimated 370,000 MT during the period.
The imports were largely composed of the mackerel, sardines, and whiting/hake fish species contributing to the annual domestic consumption of approximately 775,000 metric tonnes.
On average, the total domestic fish production from all fishing sources in the past five years have been placed at just under 450,000 metric tons per annum. Imports will continue to play a key role and account for an increasingly significant share of domestic consumption in the country.
