Ghana moves to exclude destructive industrial fishing from its coastal waters.

Press release – Nice, France: Thursday 12 June 2025

Today, the government of the Republic of Ghana has announced a commitment to exclude

bottom trawling and other industrial fishing practices from the entirety of its territorial seas.

In a win for small-scale fishers, fishworkers and their communities, Honorable Emilia Arthur,

Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, shared Ghana’s commitment at the 2025 United Nations

Ocean Conference in Nice, where heads of state, policy makers and civil society alike have gathered

to chart a course for sustainable ocean management.

The commitment extends Ghana’s current national inshore exclusion zone (IEZ) from six to 12

nautical miles – the entirety of its territorial waters – in a pledge that will protect fragile systems

from irreparable harm, respects the stewardship and ways of life of small-scale fishers, and prioritises the economy and food security of the country’s coastal communities.

Nana Kweigyah is a Transform Bottom Trawling coalition member representative and National

President of the Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana (CaFGOAG). In response to

the commitment he said; “I applaud the Minister’s interest in supporting the development of artisanal

fisheries. For years, fishers have raised the issue about industrial vessels coming too close to the shore, so this is a vote of confidence for our role in fisheries management.

“Given this important extension, it is now critical that we look at how this inshore exclusion zone is

managed. Declines in fish catch caused by industrial fishing can weaken local communities’ motivation to

engage in conservation practices. And so we propose that canoes are given priority access and these areas are 100% co-managed, in order to concurrently address widespread illegalities in the artisanal fisheries sector.”

The Transform Bottom Trawling Coalition, convened by Blue Ventures, unites fishing communities

across the globe against the most destructive form of industrial fishing. Coalition members and civil

society groups – both including small-scale fisher representatives, have campaigned extensively for

the establishment and extension of IEZs in territorial seas, and were instrumental in securing the

commitment from Ghana’s government.

In a positive step toward transparency, the government of Ghana has also submitted a bill to

parliament which requires the beneficial ownership of industrial fishing boats to be checked before

licenses are granted.

Ebrima Saidy, CEO of Blue Ventures commented; “These are bold and determined commitments from

Ghana’s government.

“As the movement against destructive industrial fishing builds, I hope other nations will now follow suit

and take heed of the effective management solutions led by small-scale fishers across the continent’s coastlines.

“Small-scale fishers are not an afterthought. Our work now as a global community is to redress the

historical power imbalances in ocean governance. We must continue on this positive path, and centre

coastal communities in the governance of their waters.”

Bottom trawling is driving an ocean emergency, for more information on its impacts, as well as the

community based-organisations leading the way in its solutions, see transformbottomtrawling.org