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More than 200 villages along Ghana’s coastline rely on fisheries as their primary source of income. However, Ghana's small pelagic fishery, crucial for food security and livelihoods, is on the brink of collapse following decades of over-exploitation. The illegal practice of 'saiko' fishing - the transhipment of fish at sea from industrial trawlers to local canoes - has had a particularly destructive impact on Ghana’s small pelagic fisheries. This briefing looks at the scale of the practice and its impacts on livelihoods, food security and sustainability.

The Government of Ghana has committed to rebuildingthe nation’s fisheries through key measures set out inthe 2015-2019 Fisheries Management Plan. The nationalfisheries law framework is also undergoing a revision toensure emerging challenges are addressed and to bringGhana’s laws into line with international standards. Thisprocess offers a crucial opportunity to ensure principlesof sustainable management and good governance areenshrined within Ghana’s fisheries laws and future policies.

Investigations by EJF into the related problems of human trafficking and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Taiwan’s massive distant water fishing fleet has revealed worrying findings. This briefing details the structural shortcomings in Taiwan’s management of its deep water fleet that allow human trafficking and human rights abuses to persist.