The Ghana National Canoe Fishermen’s Council and eight non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have called on President Akufo-Addo to ‘salvage’ the country’s fishing industry from the damaging illegal practice known as ‘saiko’.
According to the groups, ‘saiko’ – a severely destructive form of illegal fishing where industrial trawlers target the staple catch of canoe fishers and sell this fish back to local communities at a profit – is driving crucial fish stocks to the point of collapse and endangering Ghanaian livelihoods, nutrition and national security.
In an open letter to the President, the groups stated that the trawlers were able to hoover up vast quantities of ‘small pelagic’ fish such as sardinella – the main catch of the local canoe fishers and a crucial part of the nation’s diet.
“If this menace is not urgently addressed and measures instituted to permanently eradicate it, the source of income for over 2.7 million Ghanaians will be lost,” says the open letter.
It highlights that ‘saiko’ provides jobs to not less than 1,500 individuals, whereas canoe fisheries provide 140,000 jobs to fishers alone, and many thousands more as fishmongers, the majority of whom are women, including traders, canoe carvers, input suppliers and fish carriers.
It said in 2017 alone, the ‘saiko’ trade took around 100,000 tonnes of fish worth over US$50 million when sold at the landing site. ‘Saiko’ is costing Ghanaians millions of dollars annually and threatening coastal livelihoods.
The letter also highlights the risk of unrest and threats to national security, indicating that “the loss of jobs amongst the youth will contribute to the rise in social vices and crime within the fishing communities and our wider society.
“The collapse of the people’s fish will further undermine your government’s vitally important “Planting for Food and Jobs” agenda.”
“We note with urgency that any hope of saving Ghana’s fisheries from collapse is contingent on ending the ‘saiko’ menace without delay. We note also that in the context of the global Covid-19 pandemic, safeguarding livelihoods and food security has acquired an even more pressing urgency,” the letter added.
The Executive Director of Environmental Justice Foundation, Steve Trent, one of the signatories to the letter, said “ending ‘saiko’ will be a marker of the President’s leadership. It will be of great importance to the people of Ghana, delivering an overwhelmingly positive legacy for the President. It will enhance food security and safeguard jobs; it will stimulate the economy and boost the well-being of the nation.”
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri