Fishing Industry Faces Crisis Over Illegal Mining

 

 

The fishing industry in Ghana is facing a severe crisis due to the menace of illegal mining.

Jacob Kabori Tetteh Ageke, President of the National Inland Canoe Fishermen Council, has revealed that illegal miners are threatening fishermen on the Black Volta with weapons, forcing them to abandon their fishing grounds.

This has led to a significant decline in fish stocks and is affecting the livelihoods of thousands of fishing communities.

The situation is dire, with fishermen reporting that illegal miners are using weapons to chase them away from the Black Volta, allowing the miners to take over the water body.

The miners’ activities are causing widespread damage to aquatic ecosystems and fish populations, and the fish population is declining alarmingly.

The Association is calling for mining activities to be restricted to areas far from fishing sites to prevent further destruction of the fishing industry.

Meanwhile, aquaculture farmers in the Ashanti Region are also facing threats from illegal small-scale mining, with catfish farmers being forced to evacuate their sites.

Climate change is exacerbating the problem, with rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns altering fish habitats and disrupting fishing patterns.

A World Bank study warns that climate change could reduce Ghana’s potential fish catches by 25% or more by 2050.

The government is under pressure to ban small-scale mining, which has destroyed several natural resources in the country, threatening food security and access to potable water.

The Environmental Justice Foundation has also reported on the devastating impact of illegal fishing and corruption on Ghana’s fisheries, highlighting the need for urgent action to protect the livelihoods of millions of Ghanaians.

-BY Daniel Bampoe

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