Climate Change

Stresses on fish populations from overfishing are threatening livelihoods and food security. But climate change may be doing far worse by modifying habitats for marine fishes and invertebrates in the Gulf of Guinea through changes in species productivity and distribution. The uppermost part of the ocean provides a critical buffer by absorbing heat and anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) trapped in the atmosphere, helping to stabilize Earth’s climate system. Earth's temperature has risen by more than 1° Celsius since the late 19th century. Our oceans absorb more than 90% of the Earth’s excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions. This process has warmed the ocean significantly in the last 20 years. The heat does not disappear. It recirculates, evaporates waters, melts ice shelves, and reheats the atmosphere. The effects do not end there. Climate change is now threatening livelihoods and the food supplies of millions of people in the world's poorest regions. How is Climate Change Affecting Fisheries in Ghana? Fisheries and climate change: A poor fisherman is getting ready to cast his net — once again — over the Amisa Lagoon in Ghana after fishing for several hours without a single catch. Ocean warming is altering marine fish productivity and distribution. This has increased the incidence of poverty among small-scale fishers in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Earth's rising temperature is altering marine ecosystems. Ghana is in the tropical zone, laying between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer. This means that much of the heat from the sun falls on the tropical poor. For instance, CO2 build-up in the ocean causes seawater to acidify. This threatens marine life — including shellfish, corals, and plankton. Warmed waters affect phytoplankton production, depriving fish of essential food. Fish populations migrate to cooler areas when they can not thermally tolerate warm waters. This affects where and who can harvest the stock. This migration of fish stock is beneficial to one area/waters and detrimental to another. Ocean warming has shrunk catch potential by a net of 4% (around 1.4 million tons of cumulative loss) over the past 80 years, according to a 2019 study that examined 235 populations of 124 species of fish across 38 separate regions. While some fish species and areas benefit from warm waters, the study adds that:"losers outweigh the winners." However you look at it, changes in fish abundance and movement is affecting yield and profits, especially in the tropics. The climate change-fisheries characteristics briefly described above is taking a toll on fishers globally, including Ghana. Also read: Agbogbloshie, Ghana (2020): Questions & Answers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9REf6QdEAs Amissano and Hinii Fishing Villages in Ghana Fishing Villages in Ghana: Aerial view of the Hinii fishing village in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Fisheries in Ghanaian waters are responding to ocean warming. The effects of climate change are felt widely. But unevenly. Poor and vulnerable populations in low-income communities are being hit the hardest. Amissano and Hinii are fishing villages located in southern Ghana. Just by the Gulf of Guinea in the Central Region, one of Ghana’s 16 regions. These sister fishing villages are already in the future. They are hard hit by the effects of climate change, overfishing, and destructive fishing methods. “Nnam nnyi ipo nim.” That was in Fante, a local dialect. Translates as: “There is no fish in the ocean.” Every fisher echoed the exact same words when I asked why they sat idly under trees and not at sea. They do not go to the sea for 3-4 months every year due to a decline in fish catch. “We return home empty-handed each time. It was easy about 10 years ago. We just come in and scoop up the fish. Now we don’t get fish at all. It cost us fuel, other resources and put us in debt when we go to the sea and return without a single catch,” Said Kwabena Abudu, the Amissano chief fisherman. Affluent urban dwellers may not immediately feel the effects yet, but poor populations are being directly affected by the earth’s warming climate. I have heard this in many different contexts over the past couple of years. But hearing it again at these small fishing villages hit me the hardest. How would they survive? What would they eat? Sadly, I have no answers to these questions except to show you some photographs of the area, including a fisherman casting his net over the Amisa lagoon without catching a single fish. Fishing Villages (Ghana) At The Front Lines of Climate Change African children smiling: An estimated 2 in every 5 children (more than 300 million) African children will be living in extreme poverty by 2030, according to the Think Tank Overseas Development Institute. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Going west, I had hoped to find fishermen along Ghana's coastlines fishing or landing catches. I did not see one single fish caught because there were no fish for the fishermen to catch, but I found contended and happy people and swathes of smiling faces. For me, that was enough to pull out a camera. Climate change image: Amisa Lagoon and the Gulf of Guinea with fishing canoes parked in the middle. The canoes had been parked there for months because the fishermen get zero fish when they go out to sea. Fisheries is Ghana is already in decline, but climate change is exacerbating it. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant First, I found artisanal fishing boats parked by the seashore. They had not gone to the sea for months. Fisherman in Ghana casting a net over the Amisa Lagoon in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantFisheries and climate change: Fisherman in Ghana casts a net over a lagoon. He had attempted many times without a single catch. He hadn't been to the sea for months due to a decline in fish catch. Ocean warming and acidification are altering marine ecosystems at a faster rate. Freshwater ecosystems are not spared. Climate change threatens livelihoods and food security by altering fish productivity patterns and distribution worldwide. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantClimate change in Africa: Little of the greenhouse gas emissions altering our natural environment comes from Africa. But the continent and other developing regions remain the most vulnerable. For instance, ocean warming is shifting marine species distribution, threatening livelihoods, and food security among poor and vulnerable populations in countries such as Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantClimate change in Ghana: Fisherman casts a net over the Amisa Lagoon in Ghana. He had fished for several hours without a single catch. He also gets zero catch when he goes out to sea. Ocean warming and factors such as 'saiko,' light and blast fishing have contributed to the increased incidence of poverty among fisherfolk in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Then, bumped into Kofi Odomna throwing his cast net over the Amisa lagoon. He cast the net repeatedly, but not one single fish turned up whenever he pulled it out. This made me sad. African woman: A pretty young African woman from the Fante subgroup (Ghana and Ivory Coast) smiles as she sells blue crabs at the Hinii Fishing Village in Southern Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantClimate change and poverty: Young women at a Fishing Village in Ghana sell blue crabs to earn an income amid limited resources and a decline in fish catch caused by many factors, including climate change. Ocean warming is disrupting the livelihoods of fishers along Ghana's coastlines. They are pushed into poverty when they cannot work and earn an income. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantA pretty young African woman swim and smile in a lagoon in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantKeeping live blue crabs cool and moist by the Amisa Lagoon in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantBlue crabs caught near brackish water in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Then these young people trying to keep the blue crabs they had caught in the nearby brackish waters cool and moist. They kept the crabs in wooden baskets by the Amisa Lagoon. A young Fante woman sells blue crabs. Hinii Fishing Village, Southern Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant How they sell the live blue crabs. Amisa Estuary The Amisa brackish water. Amisa Estuary: Aerial view of the Amisa estuary near Amissano, a Fishing Village in the Central Region, one of Ghana's southern regions. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantBrackish water: A bird's eye view of the Amisa brackish water. Brackish water's salinity levels fall between seawater and freshwater. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantBird's eye view of Amisa brackish beach in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Amisa brackish water and beach. Again, I did not find a single fish around the area, but I was happy to form a friendship with the people. Hopefully, I'll be able to go back when they start to land catches. I'm more particularly interested in women's exposure to fine particles and toxicants such as Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during fish processing. Destructive Methods of Fishing in Ghana Destructive fishing methods such as per trawling, light fishing, and the use of dynamite put further pressures on the productivity and species composition of the fish population in Ghanaian waters. Pair trawling involves tying a net between two boats and pulling it (usually behind) through the water. This scoops up big, small fish and everything in the net's path. “The fishermen hate pair trawling because the Chinese men catch the smaller fish meant for them together with the bigger ones.” Said Dede, an Accra Jamestown fish marketer. “They then throw the smaller ones back into the ocean. But the smaller fish don’t survive, totally wasting them,” she added. The phenomenon of incidental catch and mortality of fish she explained is known as bycatch. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that around 40% of fish caught worldwide is bycatch. Bycatch is illegal under Ghana’s Fisheries laws. Welcome To 'Saiko' The 'saiko' phenomenon is destroying livelihoods and threatening food security among canoe fishers in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantA small spot at the Jamestown Fish Habour where canoes engaged in the illegal saiko exchange unload their frozen blocks. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant ‘Saiko’ in Ghana is the illegal transshipment of unwanted bycatch from industrial fishing vessels to the coastlines by designated canoes. The trawlers scoop up small pelagics such as sardinellas that are reserved for the artisanal sector and sell them back to the fishermen. The small canoes in front of the 'Welcome to Saiko Beach' entrance above are literally the canoes that go out to the sea to pick up frozen bycatch from trawlers back to the Jamestown landing area. The poor artisanal fishers now return home with very few catch or empty-handed because the trawlers had already collected the small ‘amanes’ and other pelagics their livelihoods depend on. This is destructive because the artisanal sector is small-scale, and their small wooden canoes are no match for the industrial fishing vessels. It's like going to a Samurai katana fight with a sword made out of balsa wood. The Ocean Means So Much To The Poor Curious what the sea means to the urban poor around the Accra Jamestown area? Check out the photo below. Fisheries and Poverty: Three urban poor men rush through the waves to help fishermen land their catch for their share. Around 8.2% of Ghana's population lives in extreme poverty (earning just around $140 per year), Ghana Statistical Services data show. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Do you observe anything interesting? Do you see 3 men hurtling against the waves with emergency toward an artisanal fishing canoe that is about to land its catch? The men help fishermen land their catch in return for fish, which they sell for sustenance. They'll do anything to help with a landing for a piece. Could you focus on the one in red for about 5 seconds and imagine you were him? What was going through your head? That's what the ocean means to Accra's urban poor. Tragedy of the Commons and Fisheries in Ghana Tragedy of the commons is a situation where individuals acting based on self-interest overuse shared resources, ultimately leading to depletion. Back in Accra, I asked Jamestown fishermen about 'Saiko' and a whole host of other destructive fishing methods. The response was straightforward: “We will stop light and blast fishing when the Government stops the trawlers from stealing our catch.” We will stop light and blast fishing when the Government stops the trawlers from stealing our catch.accra jamestown fishers How The State Exacerbates Livelihood Vulnerabilities Despite the destructive nature of light fishing, Ghana's Fisheries Commission in April 2020 granted an exemption, which allowed fishing vessels from the Ghana Tuna Association to use light to attract baits — small pelagics reserved for the artisanal sector — around Saltpond and Keta. But there was a quick U-turn on this decision after an uproar from artisanal canoe fishers who are not allowed to use light attraction equipment. In a further confrontation, Ghana's Navy, which had earlier reminded the Fisheries Commission about the illegality of light fishing, arrested two tuna vessels that were engaged in light fishing. What happened there? The commission briefly catered to big business demands at the expense of Ghana's poor canoe fishers. That was certainly odd. How did they reach the decision to exempt the association to engage in a destructive fishing practice that's prohibited under the Fisheries Act? Why did they turn around quickly? This is evidence of how state institutions use power to distribute resources and how it eventually harms the poor. Light fishing helps to increase catch rate — but at a cost. It contributes to bycatch (including endangered species) and overfishing. It also impedes efforts to rebuild overfished populations. I'd never know about this standoff had it not been reported by the London-based not-for-profit Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF). EJF is doing a fantastic job fighting for the rights of artisanal fishers in poorer countries. Check out their latest short film on the 'Saiko' problem here. Ghana Government's tight-lipped attitude over 'saiko' is alarming. Perhaps Ghana needs to revisit its cultural interpretation of inequality. It is only then that it will see how its institutions help to shape poverty by exacerbating livelihood vulnerabilities. Jamestown Fishing Harbour & Fishers Community The Jamestown Fishing Harbour area has been razed down to make way for a modern fishing harbor. Members of the fishers community have been relocated to an area near the Korle Lagoon estuarine environment, a dynamic and highly active area. Although I understand what they are trying to do with the barriers, runoff from the heavily polluted Korle Lagoon still makes the area a potentially toxic environment. There below, that's the Korle Lagoon estuary: Korle Lagoon Estuary: Aerial view of how the heavily polluted Korle Lagoon empties into the Gulf of Guinea. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant They have been relocated to around this area — stretching towards the Jamestown abattoir (east of the view above) where workers use scrap tires to singe livestock. The fishing harbour area heading towards Korle Gonna is extremely polluted, but the immediate vicinity around where they are being relocated to is far worse, in my estimation. I have collected significant air pollution data around this area, and its a nightmare. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar_q_Yf8iOw RELATED: Man Fishes in The Korle Lagoon Due To Plastic Pollution At Sea These fishers deserve better as they do so much for Ghana (economic and food security-wise). Why push them too close to the Korle Lagoon, Lavender Hill, a slaughterhouse that uses scrap tires to singe livestock, and near an area where fecal waste is processed? I have visited the Jamestown fishing habour for nearly a decade a few times each month to pick up freshly caught fish directly from the fishermen. Sadly, July 20, 2020, was my last time to pick up fish from the area as they were being pushed to the extremely polluted environment described above. Not a smart idea to pick up food from the Korle Lagoon estuarine environment and near an area where fecal waste is processed — for hygiene and sanitary reasons. There below, my last fish from this area, from an old friend: Fishing in Ghana: Fisherman in Accra, Ghana, displays his 40-inch 'original' freshly caught grouper fish with barotrauma. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant That's a roughly 40-inch grouper with barotrauma (the air-filled sac coming out if its mouth), and had just been caught about an hour earlier. Barotrauma in fish occurs when a fish is brought up from the deep to the surface quickly, resulting in the expansion of its swim bladder. Totally fine for fish caught for food. The fisherman used good old hooks and lines. I paid GH₵250 (around $43) for the grouper. Many of the locals seem to think I'm frequently cheated, but that's OK. I'd pay more if he asks — as long as my money helps to improve the material condition of an urban poor. What is The Way Forward? Changes in oceanographic conditions due to climate change are expected to exacerbate the declining reproduction patterns and distribution of fish populations in the tropics. The Guinea Currents region is projected to suffer a significant decrease in catch potential by the mid-century. Biogeographical distribution of fish species may result in a redistribution of catch potential towards the high altitude, jeopardizing food security and livelihoods in the tropics Tackling all the problems highlighted on this page depend largely on what occurs outside the fishing industry: policy, enforcement, and multilateralism. Poor fishers have very little influence on the intentions of nations and whether they will work together to curb greenhouse gas emissions or not. But one certain thing is this: Ghana needs adaptive fisheries reforms urgently to mitigate the direct impact of climate change — including rebuilding overfished populations. And to stop trawlers from stealing small pelagics reserved for the artisanal sector. Copyright notice: All photos on this page and Muntaka.com are copyrighted. Please do not copy or reuse without my permission. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant

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