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Around 90% of Ghana’s industrial fishing fleet is linked to Chinese ownership, an investigation by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has revealed. This is despite the fact that Ghana’s laws clearly forbid any foreign ownership or control of vessels flying its flag. The Chinese and Ghanaian governments must now work together to eradicate the illegal fishing practices which are rife in Ghana’s industrial fleet, improve transparency and sanction those contravening ownership laws.

Around 90% of Ghana’s industrial fishing fleet is linked to Chinese ownership, this report reveals. This is despite the fact that Ghana’s laws clearly forbid any foreign ownership or control of vessels flying its flag. The Chinese and Ghanaian governments must now work together to eradicate the illegal fishing practices which are rife in Ghana’s industrial fleet, improve transparency and sanction those contravening ownership laws.

In a bold step in the struggle against illegal practices and human rights abuse in the fishing industry, Thailand has become one of the first countries in Southeast Asia to publish a full list of all its registered and licensed fishing vessels, alongside a ‘watchlist’ of vessels prohibited from fishing, sunk or damaged, or sold to neighbouring countries.

A statement issued by 30 NGOs calls on the Thai government to resist attempts by the National Fishing Association of Thailand to derail the ratification of the international Work in Fishing Convention, which protects fishers from human rights abuses.

In the context of the on-going national reform of the fisheries law framework, the Environmental Justice Foundation, Hen Mpoano and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization organised a roundtable to address the challenges faced by Ghana's small-scale fisheries sector. The report summarises the discussions on how the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security in Ghana will help promote and maintain responsible governance of tenure of fisheries resources.

Ghana is currently undergoing a review of its national fisheries law framework, and small-scale fishers, fish traders and processors – represented by the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council and the National Fish Processors and Traders Association – presented a ten-point communiqué to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development.

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.