Decent work in Ghana’s fisheries

In Ghana, one of West Africa’s foremost fishing nations, industrial fishers often experience working conditions that would be unacceptable on land: excessive working hours, inadequate rest and nutrition, unsanitary accommodation and safety violations to name a few. Meanwhile, small-scale fisheries grapple with the effects of overfishing, illegal fishing, pollution, and encroachment on their fishing grounds by industrial vessels and offshore oil production.

In 2021, the European Union issued its second yellow card to Ghana over concerns about illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, particularly targeting the destructive practice known as saiko. Saiko involves the at-sea transhipment of illegally caught small pelagic fish from industrial trawlers to purpose-built artisanal canoes. The practice has pushed affected fish stocks, such as sardinella and mackerel, to the brink of collapse, robbed artisanal fishers of their once abundant catches, and forced small-scale fish traders out of competition. Meanwhile, a labour-led movement emerged following several developments in 2022, leading to the establishment of a tripartite Work in Fishing Committee – representing government, employers, and fishers – and the subsequent introduction of formal employment contracts for crew working on industrial fishing vessels. In August 2024, Ghana ratified the International Labour Organization’s Work in Fishing Convention (C188), further accelerating formalization in the sector.

Strengthening labour and ocean governance

This project documents the emerging fisher-led movement to secure decent working conditions while examining how formalization processes – through international regulations, labour standards, and governance mechanisms – are transforming the “micropolitics” of Ghana’s fisheries. These micropolitics represent the intricate web of informal relationships that have long sustained fishing communities and value chains but are now being rapidly reshaped by external pressures and internal movements for change. By understanding how formalization affects fish workers’ livelihoods, working conditions, and the sustainability of fish stocks, the project aims to contribute to policy approaches that centre on workers in efforts to strengthen both labour and ocean governance.

Research focus

This research project examines the real-world consequences of formalization for fish workers and fish stocks in Ghana. Instead of assuming that formalization will automatically lead to improvements, it seeks to understand how formalization processes are reshaping the complex informal institutions that have long governed Ghana’s fisheries.

Specifically, the project investigates three interlinked aspects of formalization in Ghana’s fisheries:

1. Saiko Transformation: How have the policy measures introduced in response to the EU yellow card transformed illegal fishing practices and former trade networks related to saiko fish?
2. Labour Relations: How has the introduction of formal employment contracts disrupted traditional financial networks between fishers and women traders and processors (fish mammies)? For example, while contracts provide fishers with higher cash salaries, the elimination of payment in fish has cut off fish mammies’ supply and removed fishers’ access to informal loans.
3. Governance Structures: How does the tripartite Work in Fishing Committee navigate implementing formal labour standards in a sector historically governed by informal arrangements? This study examines the progress made and challenges related to enforcement.

Methods and activities

The project’s inter- and transdisciplinary approach combines fisheries science, ethnography, and political ecology through:

• Participatory Research: Gathering the perspectives of fishers, fish mammies, and other stakeholders through in-depth interviews, focus groups, and group exercises;
• Stakeholder Engagement: Organizing a second workshop on Decent Work in Ghana’s Fisheries to bring together diverse actors, discuss challenges, and co-create solutions; and
• Systemic Analysis: Examining the interplay between formal regulations and informal institutions to identify both synergies and disconnects.

By examining how formalization processes are received by fish workers – and identifying both intended and unintended consequences – this research addresses important knowledge gaps at the intersection of environmental sustainability, labour rights, and socioeconomic well-being. It thus helps to inform contextually aware interventions that support improved working conditions and sustainable fisheries management.