**5. The need for stock enhancement (prospective species)**

carvers, input suppliers and office workers for industrial fishing fleets. Fish workers engaged in processing and distribution alone are estimated to be around 500,000 individuals. Artisanal marine fishers alone number about 120,000 workers. The sector has employed approximately

The sector's gender balance is worthy of mention. While men are involved in fishing the actual fishing process, women are engage in postharvest activities such as fish processing,

The sector also supports the livelihoods of 10% of Ghana's population of about 29 million people [9]. Over 2 million Ghanaians are dependent on the fisheries sector for their livelihoods including some 135,000 fishers in the marine sector alone, of which 124,000 (or 92%)

Fishery and finfish products are Ghana's most important non-traditional export commodities, accounting for over 50% of revenue from non-traditional export. About 90% of tuna landings are exported mainly to EU countries [12]. Tuna sales alone account for 14% of non-traditional exports (NTEs) from Ghana and are the single largest contributor after horticulture. Fish exports from Ghana are made up of high value tuna (whole, loins and canned), frozen fish (mostly demersal species), shrimps, lobsters, cuttlefish and dried and smoked fish [12].

The Ghanaian marine is highly diverse with different valuable fish species ranging from small pelagics such as Round sardinella (*Sardinella aurita*), Flat sardinella (*Sardinella maderensis*), Chub-mackerel (*Scomber japonicus*), Anchovy (*Engraulis encrasicolus*) and African moonfish (*Selene dorsalis*) to large pelagics species including Flying gurnard (*Dactylopterus volitans*), Monrovia doctorfish (*Acanthurus monroviae*), Triggerfish (*Balistes capriscus* and *Balistes punctatus*), Red snapper (*Lutjanus fulgens*), Red mullet (*Pseudupeneus prayensis*), Octopus (*Octupus vulgaris*), shrimps (*psenus monodon*), Cassavafish (*Pseudotolithus brachygnathus*), Grouper

Other economically valuable fish species that occur in Ghanaian waters are the bigeye tuna (*Thunnus obesus*), Yellowfin tuna (*Thunnus albacares*) and skipjack (*Katsuwonus pelamis*). Tuna is of major commercial importance in Ghana as a result of its export revenues and sustainability, which has been estimated at 100, 000 tonnes annually by the Fisheries Commission. The two tuna species of utmost importance in Ghana's EEZ are skipjack (*Katsuwonus pelamis*) and yellowfin (*Thunnus albacares*). Fish are highly exploited especially during the upwelling seasons. Of these exploited pelagics, the most commercially important in Ghana's coastal fisheries are the anchovies and sardinellas, namely round sardinella (*Sardinella aurita)* and flat sardinella

about 10% of country's labour force [4].

storage and distribution.

90 Public Management and Administration

**3.4. Poverty reduction**

are artisanal fishers [10, 11].

**4. The current state of fish stocks**

(*Epinephelus goreensis*), Dentex (*Dentex angolensis*) etc. [13].

(*S. maderensis*) which occur in the entire sea [13].

**3.5. Foreign exchange**

Production from marine fisheries has been declining since 2000, from almost 457,000 to 328,000 tonnes in 2016 [3, 13]. In order to sustain the per-capita annual consumption of fish (estimated at around 25 kg), imports have increased substantially in the most recent years, reaching USD 373 million in 2013. As a result, the seafood trade balance moved from a USD 33 million surplus in 1997 to a USD 319 million deficit in 2013 [13].

Sizable catches occur only for a period of 3 months (usually July–September) because of seasonal fluctuations in abundance of small pelagic fish species (especially sardinellas); implying that monthly incomes from fishing can be minimal during the rest of the year.

Currently, Ghana's marine stocks are overexploited by the industrial fleet, leading to decline of harvests from marine fisheries. This precipitous decline of Ghana fish stocks has had dire implications for coastal livelihoods which go beyond economic challenges. Locals at the coast use indigenous methods to harvest which is no or less economic intensive during fish abundant seasons.

It is estimated that the fisheries, mostly artisanal, employ over 12,000 fishing vessels, with 70% motorized [3, 13]. This has resulted to increased fishing pressure and high CPUE. The Catch data collated by the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) (2014) indicate a drastic decline of stocks. Recently, the ministry has recorded no catch data of some species indicating full exploited of such species.

It was reported that the total landings of small pelagic (anchovies, sardinellas, mackerels and horse mackerel) have decreased from 277,000 metric tonnes in 1996 to about 92,000 metric tonnes in 2011 [4].

The Ministry is seeking for sustainable ways to restore depleted stocks and increase production to help meet the country's fish deficit, hence the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Plan has been developed. The potential benefits of this plan include:

