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Fishing in Ghana increased considerably in the late 1960s, from 105,100 tons of marine fish caught in 1967 to 230,100 tons in 1971.[1] In 1982 the yield was 234,100 tons, composed of 199,100 tons of marine varieties and 35,000 tons of freshwater fish from lake Volta.[1] The industry was hit by fuel shortages, inadequate storage facilities, and the general economic difficulties of the 1970s and the 1980s.[1] Nevertheless, by 1988 the fish catch was 302,900 tons; by 1991 it amounted to 289,675 tons, down from more than 319,000 tons in 1990.[1]
Large-scale poaching by foreign vessels has severely depleted fish stocks in Ghana's 200-nautical-mile maritime Exclusive Economic Zone, causing major government concern.[1] The most affected stocks are sea bottom-feeding fish.[1] Tuna stocks reportedly remain unaffected.[1] A 1992 Ministry of Food and Agriculture report recommended that the government accelerate mobilization of surveillance and enforcement units and step up regulation of trawler fleets.[1] That same year, the government passed a fisheries law to curb overfishing and to help protect the marine environment.[1] Fishermen were banned from catching specified shellfish, and all fishing vessel operators were required to obtain licenses.[1] The law provided for a regulatory body--the Fisheries Monitoring, Control, Surveillance, and Enforcement Unit--as well as a fisheries advisory council.[1] These organizations, however, both of which are underfunded and undermanned, are unlikely to stop illegal fishing activities anytime soon.[1]
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