The message from Accra today was clear and uncompromising: the future of fisheries is about more than fish — it is about survival, stability, and security.
Opening the International Conference on Fisheries and Stability at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Hon. Emelia Arthur (MP), called for stronger global solidarity to defend fisheries, warning that continued inaction will cost the world both food and peace.
“Fisheries are no longer just an ecological issue; they are a matter of security,” Hon. Arthur declared. Her call came as leaders, scientists, civil society, and industry stakeholders from around the world gathered in Accra to confront the link between fisheries collapse and instability.
The facts she presented were sobering:
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Fish provides over 20% of animal protein intake for more than three billion people worldwide.
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In West Africa, 200 million people depend on fish as their main source of protein.
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In Ghana, fisheries sustain nearly 3 million citizens and remain a cornerstone of the national economy.
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Yet 35% of global fish stocks are overexploited, triple the level in 1974, according to FAO’s 2024 report.
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In West Africa, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing makes up 40% of total catches, draining over USD 2.3 billion annually and destabilizing entire communities.
Hon. Arthur warned that the oceans are also being hijacked for drug trafficking, human trafficking, and piracy, turning depleted waters into a breeding ground for organized crime.
But she did not only sound the alarm — she outlined action:
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Ghana has passed the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2025 (Act 1146) and new Port State Measures Regulations, 2024 (L.I. 2490) to strengthen governance.
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Ghana has ratified the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, targeting harmful practices fueling overfishing.
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Plans are underway to install electronic monitoring systems on all industrial trawl vessels and to deploy new patrol boats in partnership with the Navy and Marine Police.
Still, she stressed, laws and patrol boats alone will not save fisheries. Without voluntary compliance by operators in both artisanal and industrial sectors, enforcement will always fall short.
Her message to the international community was urgent: stand with Ghana, stand with Africa, and stand with the millions whose food and jobs depend on healthy oceans.
“This conference must not end in words,” Hon. Arthur challenged. “It must produce concrete actions that connect sustainable fisheries to food security, livelihoods, and peace.”
The three-day meeting will end with a communiqué of commitments. But Ghana’s message today is already echoing far beyond the Gulf of Guinea: safeguarding fisheries is safeguarding people, prosperity, and stability itself.
