Assessment of the volume of seafood waste generation, utilization and management system from selected seafood processing companies in Ghana: A case study

Abstract

Seafood waste has gained attention globally due to its increasing demand and negative impact on the environment. Survey work was conducted because Ghana has a significant number of commercial seafood processing industries but documentation on seafood waste is limited. The objective of this survey was to gain an insight into the volume of seafood waste generation, utilization and management system in seafood processing companies. Specifically, the study was to identify bottlenecks in the reuse of waste from seafood processing companies, quantify the seafood waste and determine the composition of the seafood waste generated. This study evaluated seafood waste from ten seafood processing companies situated in Tema, Effutu, Takoradi and Accra Metropolis in Ghana. Production and Quality Assurance managers from on-shore seafood processing companies were interviewed using a semi structured interview schedule (SSIS). These seafood processing companies have been in existence for between one to forty years. The highest proportion (40%) of the companies have been in existence for six to ten years. The companies which were in operation for a period of twenty to twenty-five years accounted for 20%. Most (80%) of these processing companies processed prawns, octopus, lobsters, grouper, catfish, whereas a minority (20%) processed tuna seafood. A majority (80%) of the surveyed processing companies did not process the waste generated. The remaining percentage occupied a production volume ranging from 10-50 tons of raw fish production. A large portion of the waste generated was from grouper (60%) with the least being tuna (11%). Survey results revealed that the companies did not process their seafood waste because of the unavailability of processing equipment and lack of knowledge on the seafood waste value-added products. Another challenge confronting seafood waste management was the absence of management policy to regulate it. It can be concluded that the 60% of the surveyed companies generated seafood waste and there is a need for steps to be taken to reduce it. The study revealed that there were no laws in Ghana that controlled the reuse of seafood waste. It is recommended that a holistic seafood waste reduction approach must be established between actors in the fishing and seafood processing sector. This study could be a driving tool to improve the seafood waste management system in Ghana. Key words: Environment impact, seafood industry, value addition, seafood waste, production volume