Fisheries sector moves for greater transparency

Ghana has announced its commitment to join the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI), a global body that focuses on public access to information for thematic areas of marine capture fisheries.

Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Minister, Mavis Hawa Koomson, presented an official commitment letter to the FiTI International Board Chair, Dr. Valeria Merino, during a side-event at the Committee on Fisheries’ (COFI36) 36th session in Rome on July 9, 2024, confirming the country’s intentions.

Membership of FiTI, according to the minister, will afford the country an opportunity to provide detailed public access to information for fishers – including data on fishing licences, vessel registry, catch data, subsidies and beneficial ownership.

The FiTI also ensures that transparency in the fisheries sector for national governments is enhanced through making data available in the public domain, and ensuring stakeholders can draw reliable conclusions from it.

The commitment

In her official commitment letter, the minister recalled that FiTI’s recent ‘TAKING STOCK’ transparency assessment showed the country is not data-deficient but does lack the framework to make valuable fisheries information publicly accessible and usable.

“With this commitment, Ghana seeks to collaborate with relevant regulatory institutions, industry and fisheries Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to improve accessibility and transparency in marine fisheries management in accordance with the FiTI Standard,” she indicated.

The FiTI International Secretariat, according to Dr. Valeria Merino, will continue providing technical guidance to ensure the country’s candidate application to the FiTI can be completed in due time.

With this commitment, the country becomes first to implement the FiTI within West Central Gulf of Guinea, taking a leadership position in the region.

The industry

Ghana has extensive and valuable marine fisheries resources which are exploited by both industrial and artisanal fisheries.

The fisheries and aquaculture sector contributes to food and nutrition security, poverty alleviation, wealth and job creation for an estimated 3 million people engaged in the fisheries and aquaculture value chain.

Marine fisheries contribute about 70 percent of the total annual fish production, which translates into significant income and foreign exchange toward Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Lapses in fisheries transparency

However, even though marine fisheries have become a critical resource fulfilling the economic, food security and nutrition needs of millions of people around the world, the sustainability of fisheries is currently being compromised.

Indeed, the global COVID-19 pandemic struck at a time when the ocean was already under increasing threat from myriad impacts including climate change, pollution and overfishing.

According to latest reports on the ‘State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020′ from the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organisation, more than 34 percent of global fish stocks are already fished at biologically unsustainable levels.

The same report noted it is likely that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target 14.4 (to end overfishing of marine fisheries by 2020) has not been achieved.

But the FiTI argues that governments have a fundamental obligation to manage fisheries responsibly on behalf of citizens, as a public asset.

But this, according to the organisation, invokes a complex challenge: ensuring that fishing and fish trade contribute to income, employment, food and nutrition for millions of people, while also conserving marine biodiversity for present and future generations.

While there are many aspects to achieving sustainable fisheries, the public availability of credible information is critical -but it has not been a priority.

Government's opaque activities

Many governments, according to FiTI, are not disclosing even basic information on their fisheries sector; such as laws, permits, fish agreements, stock assessments, financial contributions, catch data and subsidies.

Also, not all companies are reliably reporting on catch volumes, fishing practices and payments to governments.