Fisheries Minister calls for global cooperation to protect oceans and livelihoods
The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Emelia Kobiaba Arthur, has called for urgent international cooperation to protect fisheries from growing threats and to secure their role as a vital foundation for peace, livelihoods, and global food security.
Speaking at a conference hosted by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) under the theme “Fisheries and Stability: A Global Issue?”, the Minister warned that fisheries—long considered a lifeline for millions—are increasingly under siege from illegal exploitation, overfishing, pollution, and climate change.
“Fisheries are a lifeline,” she said. “They feed the world, employ millions, and anchor cultures and communities. In Ghana alone, nearly three million people depend directly on fisheries for their livelihoods.”
She expressed deep appreciation to the Serene Maritime Academy, the French Embassy in Accra, and other partners for their support, stressing that their cooperation was a reminder that “when nations and peoples come together in solidarity, we can confront even the most pressing global challenges.”
Quoting the FAO’s 2024 State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture Report, the Minister revealed that 35 per cent of fish stocks are now overfished, up from just 10 per cent in 1974, with West Africa at the frontline of the crisis. The region, she said, is being “stripped of over $2.3 billion annually” due to Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
“When fisheries collapse, communities fracture,” she warned. “Young people are driven into desperation, and instability festers.”
She further cautioned that mounting ecological stress—including rising sea temperatures, floods, and coastal erosion—is rapidly evolving into social and political instability.
“Fishing vessels that once carried food,” she added, “are increasingly being turned into vehicles for transnational crimes, from smuggling to trafficking.”
Legislative and enforcement measures
Minister Arthur outlined key steps Ghana has taken to strengthen marine governance:
Passage of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2025 (Act 1146) to modernise governance, ensure equity, and protect common resources.
Extension of Ghana’s Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ) for artisanal fishers to 12 nautical miles.
Enactment of the Fisheries Port State Measures Regulations, 2024 (L.I. 2490).
Ratification of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.
Suspension of four industrial vessels’ licences for infractions.
Strengthened enforcement through the Ministry’s Fisheries Enforcement Unit, now led by a senior naval officer.
Ongoing improvements in electronic vessel monitoring and inter-agency coordination with the Navy and Marine Police.
“We are not just talking—we are acting,” she declared. “But legislation alone is not enough.”
Call for solidarity
Emphasising that “true sustainability rests on social partnerships,” the Minister urged industrial fleets, artisanal fishers, processors, and coastal communities to see themselves not as competitors, but as stewards of a shared resource.
She also underscored the need for cross-border collaboration: “Fish swim across borders—so must our cooperation.”
She highlighted Ghana’s active role in regional and global frameworks, including the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea, the 2015 Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Global Biodiversity Framework.
The Minister further called on participants to treat the issue not only as a matter of policy but as a moral obligation to future generations:
“Let us leave this conference not only with policy recommendations, but with a renewed conviction that the ocean is part of our shared inheritance and that sustainable fisheries are essential to a more just, stable, and peaceful world.”
She dedicated her closing words to “the fisherman in Axim, the fishmonger in Tehran, and the child in Monrovia who depends on fish for nutrition,” urging all stakeholders not to betray them in the pursuit of short-term profit.
“If we place people and planet before profit—if we embrace equity and solidarity—fisheries can become not a source of conflict, but a pillar of peace and stability.”
