Weaknesses:
1 Poor understandingfalse perception of roles and responsibilities with no legal, institutional, political support and resource allocation to guide or facilitate roles and
responsibilities of members, 2 Inadequate capacity andor training in group dynamics, bye- laws enforcement, conflict resolution, accountability and communication, 3 Lack of visibility and
difficulty in soliciting cooperation and support from community members. Threats:
1 Competing establishments seen to take over functions of the CBFMCs, e.g. ZOIL and Landing Beach Committees, 2 District Assembly not proactive in supporting bye-laws
development and gazettement, 3 No identifiable sources of revenue hence are not financially sustainable.
Opportunities:
1 Could be made more functional and assume a local name that reflects the aspirations of the beach communities, 2 Encompass the activities of the landing beach
committees and Zoil brigades and draw legitimacy from the traditional authority and the District Assembly, 3 Be trained and properly introduced and resourced to manage activities at the
community level.
3.1.4 Biodiversity Threats Assessment
A desk review of biodiversity threats to the coastal habitats in the target districts of the Western Region was contracted to a team of four consultants. The major threats identified are
summarized as follows: overexploitation of marine fisheries resources and pervasive use of prohibited fishing methods; loss of coastal habitat through establishment of plantations;
destruction of wetlands for infrastructure development; harvesting of mangrove forests; beach sand mining; inappropriate tourism development; pollution arising from domestic and industrial
solid waste, mining waste; and the misuse of pesticides and fertilizers. Specifics of the identified threats include:
• By-catch of endangered species, i.e. seabirds, sea turtles, sharks and dolphins • Weak institutional, legislative and governance framework for managing natural
resources • Development of oil and gas resources and the potential for increased conflicts over
marine space and negative impacts on coastal and marine habitats. • Climate change and sea level rise impacts on the shoreline, coastal habitats, biodiversity
and human communities • Spread of invasive species such as the water hyacinth
Eichhornia crassipes and algal
blooms Enteromorpha flexuosa
in the marine and coastal waters The study concluded with the following recommendations:
• Establish marine protected areas MPAs around the Cape Three Points Area and Coastal Ramsar Site for the Amansuri wetlands
• Give special conservation attention to Esiama Beach, Ehonle and Belibangara Lagoons • Develop capacity to reinforce conservation management of the Cape Three Points
Forest Reserve and of the threatened primate species therein • Address the issue of harmful algal blooms in wetlands and coastal marine habitat
• Make reforms in the fisheries sector to ensure compliance with fisheries regulations • Protect endangered species such as marine turtles and dolphins
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3.1.5 Participatory Characterization of Coastal Communities
This exercise was implemented through Friends of the Nation FoN with support from CRC staff. A total of 89 coastal communities along the coast were surveyed to generate primary
information qualitative and quantitative on fisheries, community infrastructure, governance and institutions, local habitats and perceptions of resource management.
Reports summarizing baseline information on each district have been completed. Emerging trends indicate severe shoreline and coastal habitat erosion in the communities, the weakening
of the roles of Chief fisherman, conflicting perceptions regarding declining fish catches, use of inappropriate fishing methods, pressures on coastal wetlands for housing and other
developments, harvesting and consumption of marine turtles, and other issues.
Figure 4: Mapping exercise with fishermen
3.1.6 Fisheries Sector Review
This scope of activity was led by World Fish Center. A desk review and ground-truthing activities looked at Ghanas fisheries sector. A summary of the review is presented the following list:
State of the resource and fishing effort
In Ghana, fishing effort is measured by the number of vessels involved in the fishery. Recent figures 2008 show that vessel numbers are higher than ever in the canoe, trawl fleets and
semi-industrial vessels, while the number of Tuna vessels has remained roughly constant over the last 20 years. Number of vessels, which is at an all-time peak, provides a very crude
estimation of effort, a critical indicator for changes in the fishery. Fish catches, particularly of small pelagics, have been declining in the last decade despite a continuing increase in effort.
Several signs of stock depletion are apparent, including fishers traveling longer distances in search of fish and fisher perceptions that there are lower fish catches.
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