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Figure 5 Some participants on the Philippines Study Tour Ghana is Ready for Change: The Stakes are
High The Philippines Study Tour has resurrected, in
its wake, a new hope for Ghana’s fisheries management. Drawing from the Philippines
experience of a fishery similar to that of Ghana, participants are hopeful that one of the crucial
management measures necessary for rebuilding the stocks is the closed season.
“I believe a closed season is possible for Ghana to
implement. If the Philippines that has a fishery similar to Ghana’s, has been able to implement
a closed season and seen results, then Ghana can follow suit” – said Nana Duncan, Chief
Fisherman of Elmina and Regional Executive of the GNCFC, in an interview with the SFMP Communications Specialist after the tour.
There are currently traces of changes in behavior as some tour participants and their corresponding groups whom past fisheries projects could not successfully engage, now see the need for the implementation of
some quick actions to rebuild a collapsing fishery. Study Tour participants are now spreading the word; many of them willingly share their experiences with peers on diverse stakeholder engagement platforms
and in their communities. Upon return from the trip, the motivated participants outlined a strategy to communicate lessons learned to their respective stakeholders.
“I believe the idea of closed season and closed areas is very feasible for Ghana. The right thing to do is to throw the idea to the fisher folks and take decisions with them; once they know it will benefit them, I
think they’ll buy the idea”, said Mad. Cecilia Erzuah, Director of Finance and Administration - MOFAD
1.5 Harmonizing Regional Fisheries Policies
The SFMP had three meetings in Year 1 with representatives of the Fisheries Commission of the Western Central Gulf of Guinea FCWC to discuss areas of collaboration in fisheries
management of small pelagics. The FCWC is engaged in coordinating regional fisheries management, focused primarily on shared stocks, of member countries from Liberia to Nigeria.
Areas of collaboration included capacity building in stock assessment, fisheries management, DNA stock discrimination study and fisheries law enforcement. Coordination with the FCWC
and CECAF focused on the stock assessment and fish stock discrimination study. A team of collaborators were identified at the recent 7
th
scientific working group of CECAF in Tenerife, Spain. The purpose of the study is to identify much needed stock genetics and boundaries of
sardinella, which extends from Morocco to Namibia. Management of these shared stocks within the context of national boundaries do not often achieve the desired management objectives in the
absence of understanding the range of the spawning population. The study will be conducted in Year 2 and involve the participation of scientists and partners from selected countries to provide
adequate samples of fish landed within their country.
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The CECAF requested USAIDSFMP to provide expertise to build capacity in the area DNA genetic studies and share results in a regional workshop at the end of the study and examine
fisheries management impact of the results, especially as member countries begin to discuss regional quotas of shared stocks.
1.6 Informing the U.S Government on Key Fisheries Policies Issues in Ghana
In Quarter 2, a brief was prepared on key messages and issues that the SFMP hopes to address and that are needed to reform the marine fisheries sector in Ghana and provided these to USAID
along with additional background notes for the Mission Director in preparation for a meeting between the Mission Director and the Minister of MOFAD and for the SFMP National Launch
event. A meeting was also held with the US Department of State TIP Office on SFMP initiatives on Child labor and Trafficking in Fisheries.
Figure 6 Regional meeting participants
Figure 7 Regional meeting participants
13 The literature review revealed that the occurrence of child labor and child trafficking are
entwined in poverty and social injustices making it a problem that cannot be tackled in isolation.
1.7 Reducing Child Labor and Trafficking CLaT in Fisheries
