Hooked on Survival: The Human Impact of Climate-Driven Illegal Fishing in Ghana

Introduction: A Climate Crisis Beneath the Waves

Along the sun-drenched coasts of Ghana, a silent crisis is unfolding, driven by the twin forces of a changing climate and human desperation. For centuries, fishing has been the lifeblood of coastal communities, a cultural cornerstone and primary economic engine. Today, this way of life is under unprecedented threat. Scientific evidence confirms that climate change is altering ocean temperatures, sea levels, and weather patterns, directly causing a dramatic decline in fish stocks. As traditional catches dwindle, some fishers, facing financial ruin and food insecurity, are turning to destructive and illegal fishing methods. This cycle—where environmental degradation fuels socioeconomic desperation, which in turn accelerates ecological collapse—represents one of the most complex and urgent challenges facing West Africa’s marine resources. This article delves into the human dimension of climate-driven illegal fishing in Ghana, examining its roots, its devastating multi-layered impacts on health, ecosystems, and social peace, and the pathway forward through sustainable adaptation and community-led solutions.

Key Points: Understanding the Crisis

• Climate Change as a Catalyst: Rising sea temperatures, erratic rainfall, and sea-level rise are primary drivers in the decline of Ghana’s fish populations, disrupting breeding and migration.
• Socioeconomic Pressure: Declining catches lead to income loss, pushing vulnerable fishers and fishmongers toward illegal, high-yield methods like blast fishing, chemical poisoning, and light fishing.
• Public Health Emergency: The use of dangerous chemicals (e.g., DDT, acid, petroleum mixtures) and explosives in fishing contaminates seafood and water bodies, posing severe risks of poisoning, cancer, and digestive illnesses to consumers.
• Ecological Devastation: Destructive practices destroy critical fish habitats like coral reefs and seagrass beds, creating a feedback loop that prevents fish stock recovery.
• Conflict and Social Instability: Competition for dwindling resources fuels tensions between artisanal and semi-industrial fishers, sometimes escalating into violence.
• Pathways to Resilience: Solutions require integrated approaches: stronger law enforcement, economic diversification (e.g., aquaculture), value addition, and community empowerment aligned with Ghana’s National Adaptation Plan and SDGs 1, 12, and 14.

Background: Ghana’s Fisheries at a Crossroads

The Stakes: Livelihoods and National Economy

Ghana’s fisheries sector is a pillar of the national economy and a lifeline for over 2 million people, directly and indirectly. Coastal communities, particularly in the Central and Western Regions, are heavily dependent on artisanal fishing for employment, protein, and income. The sector contributes significantly to GDP and foreign exchange through exports. However, this vital resource is in documented decline. According to the Fisheries Commission, catches of key species like sardinella (the “dried fish” staple) have plummeted over the past two decades, falling far below sustainable biomass levels.

Climate Stressors on Marine Ecosystems

Peer-reviewed research (Awuni et al., 2023; Dunee et al., 2025; Oduro et al., 2025) provides robust evidence that climate change is a primary stressor. Key impacts include:

• Rising Sea Surface Temperatures: Alters the distribution and reproductive cycles of pelagic fish species, pushing them to seek cooler, often deeper or more distant waters, beyond the reach of traditional canoes.
• Sea-Level Rise & Coastal Erosion: Degrades essential coastal habitats like mangroves and wetlands that serve as fish nurseries, while also threatening landing sites and infrastructure.
• Erratic Rainfall & Flooding: Changes freshwater influx into coastal lagoons and estuaries, disrupting salinity levels critical for juvenile fish development. Increased flooding also pollutes near-shore waters with runoff.
• Increased Storm Intensity: Damages fishing gear and boats, making fishing more dangerous and costly.

These changes are not future projections; they are current realities that are shrinking the “resource pie” upon which coastal communities survive.

Analysis: The Vicious Cycle of Climate Pressure and Illegal Practice

From Declining Catches to Desperate Measures

The logical sequence is stark: climate change reduces fish availability → fisher incomes drop → families face food and financial insecurity → some fishers adopt illegal, high-efficiency methods to compensate for low catches → these methods further degrade the ecosystem, making recovery harder. As Nana Kweku Banny, the Chief Fisherman at Winneba, stated, practices like light fishing (which disorients and attracts fish at night) and chemical use were historically uncommon. They have proliferated as a direct response to the pressure of empty nets. “From the 1990s to 2000s, we never practiced light fishing… when we started using light for fishing, the amount of fish in the sea reduced drastically.” This testimony highlights how a coping mechanism for scarcity becomes a driver of accelerated collapse.

The Devastating Human and Ecological Toll

The consequences of this cycle are profound and interconnected:

• Public Health Catastrophe: Dr. Jemaima Etornam, a fisheries scientist, details the horrifying cocktail of substances used: dynamite, DDT, acid, and mixtures of petrol or detergent (like “Omo”) with sand (“gary”). These toxins settle in the water, are absorbed by fish and shellfish, and enter the human food chain. Immediate effects include severe stomach upsets, but long-term exposure is linked to cancer, neurological damage, and organ failure. This turns a survival strategy into a public health time bomb.
• Habitat Destruction: Blast fishing physically shatters coral reefs and seabed structures. Chemical poisons kill not only target fish but also plankton, invertebrates, and the foundational species of the marine food web, creating dead zones.
• Economic & Social Fragmentation: Madam Sophia, a fishmonger, illustrates the entire value chain’s collapse: “if there aren’t any fishes we suffer to feed our households.” When boats return empty, everyone from the boat owner to the net mender to the processor loses income. This desperation can fuel conflicts, as documented between communities using different gear types, sometimes turning violent over perceived competition for the last remaining stocks.
• Governance Failures: The original content correctly identifies “weak law enforcement” and the “politicisation of fisheries development” as compounding factors. Corruption, lack of political will for strict regulation, and inadequate surveillance capacity in vast ocean areas create an environment where illegal operators act with impunity.

Practical Advice: Building Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods

Breaking the cycle requires moving beyond enforcement-only approaches to address the root causes: climate vulnerability and lack of economic alternatives. Interventions must be community-centered and multi-sectoral.

1. Strengthen Governance and Enforcement

• Invest in modern surveillance technology (drones, satellite monitoring) to patrol Ghana’s Exclusive Economic Zone more effectively.
• Depoliticize the Fisheries Commission and ensure transparent, consistent enforcement of regulations against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
• Implement and enforce community-based co-management regimes, giving local fisher associations a formal stake in monitoring and decision-making, increasing buy-in for rules.

2. Promote Economic Diversification and Alternative Livelihoods

As Dr. Victor Owusu, an investment geographer, emphasizes, “It is all about job creation.” Reducing pressure on wild stocks requires creating viable alternatives.

• Aquaculture Development: Promote sustainable fish farming (ponds, cages) of native species. This requires providing training, affordable credit, and market linkages. It must be environmentally managed to avoid pollution and disease transfer to wild stocks.
• Value Addition and Post-Harvest Processing: Train fishers and fishmongers (especially women like Madam Sophia) in improved smoking, drying, and packaging techniques to increase the value and shelf-life of their catch, boosting income from smaller quantities of fish.
• Non-Fishing Maritime and Coastal Economies: Develop ecotourism (e.g., guided cultural tours, turtle watching), boat repair services, and small-scale renewable energy projects (solar) in coastal communities to create income streams independent of fishing pressure.

3. Climate Adaptation for Fisheries

• Integrate climate forecasts into fishing plans and provide early warning systems for dangerous weather.
• Support the restoration of mangrove forests and other blue carbon ecosystems, which protect coastlines, serve as fish nurseries, and provide alternative resources (e.g., honey, medicine).
• Invest in research to identify climate-resilient fish species and adaptive fishing gear that targets shifting stocks with less bycatch and habitat damage.

4. Community Empowerment and Awareness

• Launch targeted public health campaigns in fishing communities about the dangers of consuming fish caught with chemicals and explosives.
• Facilitate dialogues between artisanal and semi-industrial fishers to develop conflict resolution mechanisms and shared management plans.
• Empower women’s groups in the fisheries value chain, as they are often the processors and marketers, to become leaders in advocacy and alternative enterprise development.

These practical steps align directly with Ghana’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption & Production), and SDG 14 (Life Below Water).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why are fishers in Ghana turning to illegal methods like blast fishing and chemical poisoning?

Fishers are not turning to illegal methods out of malice, but primarily out of economic desperation. Climate change has drastically reduced their traditional catches, lowering their income. Illegal methods like using lights, explosives, or chemicals are perceived as a way to maximize a very limited catch in a shorter time, providing a desperate response to the risk of total financial loss and household hunger. It is a high-risk survival strategy in a context of vanishing options.

What are the specific health risks to consumers from fish caught using these illegal methods?

The risks are severe and well-documented. Chemicals like DDT and petroleum mixtures are persistent organic pollutants and neurotoxins. When ingested, they can cause acute symptoms like violent vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pains. Long-term accumulation in the body is linked to cancer, birth defects, immune system suppression, and damage to the liver and nervous system. Explosives leave behind toxic residues and shrapnel that can also contaminate fish. Consuming such fish is a direct threat to public health.

Is climate change really the main cause, or is overfishing the bigger problem?

This is a critical question. The scientific consensus is that both are primary, interacting drivers. Overfishing by industrial fleets (both legal and illegal) has long depleted fish stocks. Climate change now acts as a “threat multiplier,” accelerating the decline by altering the very ecosystems fish need to breed and feed. It reduces the ocean’s productivity and forces fish to migrate, making them less accessible to traditional fishing grounds. Therefore, addressing illegal fishing requires tackling both unsustainable fishing pressure and building climate resilience in coastal communities.

What is being done by the Ghanaian government and partners?

Efforts exist but are often under-resourced. The Fisheries Commission is tasked with enforcement. Ghana has a National Adaptation Plan that includes fisheries. International partnerships, like the one supporting this story through CDKN Ghana and the CLARE R4I Opportunities Fund, aim to build research and community capacity. However, experts argue for a massive scale-up in political commitment, funding for surveillance and alternative livelihoods, and the genuine decentralization of management power to local communities for these efforts to be effective.

Conclusion: Reeling in a Sustainable Future

The story of climate-driven illegal fishing in Ghana is not just an environmental report; it is a human story of resilience and risk. It reveals how a global phenomenon like climate change manifests in the most intimate and devastating ways at the local level—in the empty nets of a fisherman, the worried face of a fishmonger, and the poisoned meal on a family’s plate. The illegal practices are a symptom, not the disease. The disease is a combination of ecological collapse and socioeconomic abandonment. The cure, therefore, must be holistic. It requires seeing fisheries management not in isolation, but as part of a climate adaptation and poverty reduction strategy. Success hinges on empowering coastal communities as stewards, providing them with the tools, training, and economic alternatives to choose sustainability over short-term survival. The health of Ghana’s oceans, the food security of its people, and the stability of its coastal regions depend on the urgent, coordinated, and compassionate implementation of these solutions. The time to act is before the next net comes up empty—and the next chemical is poured in.