Capacity deficit and marginalisation of artisanal fishers hamper effective fisheries governance in Ghana: Insights and propositions for promoting sustainable small-scale fisheries

Abstract

Ghana’s artisanal small-scale fisheries (SSF) is collapsing despite the existence of numerous governance structures and regulatory and policy frameworks for the development of the sector. To sustainably manage the SSF, a deeper understanding of the complexity of its governance and the precursors for transformation is imperative. Using a qualitative approach and non-probability sampling techniques, we unravel the inherent and exogenous factors driving capacity deficit in SSF governance groups and how this cascades into their marginalisation and consequent disharmony, challenging effective governance and sustainable management of the sector. Low level of formal education, long-held perception of the fishery as a traditional heritage that requires no formalised management regime, lack of structured training in fisheries management for the leadership, and the leadership selection process were identified as the main areas of capacity deficit in the artisanal sector. Artisanal fishers felt inadequately engaged in the fisheries decision-making processes and uninformed about fisheries laws and policies; stemming from a predominantly top-down governance dispensation. The current dispensation discourages grassroots participation and compliance during policy implementation, which has led to the further marginalisation of artisanal fishers, causing disharmony in the industry and ultimately steering overexploitation of the marine small pelagic fishery to the brink of collapse. We make propositions for effective and transformational governance reforms to promote sustainable fisheries in Ghana’s SSF sector, principally capacity building, inclusion, leadership selection reforms, and co-management.