By: Dr. Christian Larbi Ayisi- Senior Lecturer, Department of Water Resources and Aquaculture Management-University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), Somanya, Eastern Region
Today, November 21, we celebrate World Fisheries Day – a global call to honour the blue heart of our planet, the oceans that ensure millions of people dwelling along the coast are fed and sustained. This year’s celebration has a special twist, dwelling on the theme which takes special inspiration from the old-age biblical wisdom of Luke 5:5 – “ Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
It has a great lesson for our fishers! Just imagine Simon Peter, worn out after a futile night on the Galilee, empty nets, disappointment and hopelessness. However, at that simple command from, he casts his net deep -and catch in excesses that nearly engulfs his boat. This act signifies obedience, perseverance as well as a Jesus making a jump into the dark. And friends, if that does not mirror the spirit of Ghana’s fisheries, I don’t know what does!
Narrowing home, Ghana’s fisheries sector is not just an industry, it is the lifeblood of approximately 3 million people spanning across a 350km coast line, from Denu to Axim. We pull in tilapia from Lake Volta, sardines from the Gulf of Guinea, and prawns that grace tables worldwide. The fisheries sector plays a critical role in Ghana’s socioeconomic development, contributing significantly to food security, employment generation, poverty alleviation, and foreign exchange earnings. But let us be real- we have laboured all night in futility, haven’t we?
Our brothers have been forced to lunch deep into the ocean, riskier waters in search of small pelagic fishes such as Sardinella, European Anchovy, and Atlantic chub mackerel which have been depleted by overfishing. Whiles climate change keep stirring up warmer seas, Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing – the IUU pirates – keep snatching a chunk of our shares.
Aquaculture is flourishing, but it is faced with high feed costs, limited feed access, limited access to quality fingerlings, and poor feed and management practices, especially among small-scale farmers. We have have laboured in vain catching frustration, empty markets, and increasing prices that affects the poor. Strike a chord? Like Peter, we have laboured under the stars and seen dawn break on barren nets.
But here is the miracle in the message: Nevertheless, at your word… That “nevertheless” is our turning point! It is the faith that says, even when science shouts scarcity, we launch into the deep -guided by collective will, innovation, and wisdom.In Ghana, we are already living this verse. Are you familiar with the closed-season? That four-week ban on fishing the government enforced last year -a holy rest for the seas – with the aim of conservation for the unborn generation. It’s obedience to the “word” of our Fisheries Commission, resonating Peter’s trust.
The opportunities when we go deeper! Aquaculture is not a side hustle – it is our Galilee miracle. With farmers across the country providing us with tilapia and catfish, we are feeding 26 kilos per Ghanaian yearly – above the global average. Imagine youth-led hatcheries and aquaponics systems across the country, relying on solar pumps, feeding systems monitored by AI, turning “toiled all night” into “harvest all day.” Co-management plans, which allow committees along our beaches to guard against IUU, integrating technology with traditional knowledge. We’re hybridizing strains for disease-resistant prawns, restoring mangroves as natural fish nurseries, and pushing blue economy policies that link fishers to export markets without selling our sovereignty.
It is important that as Ghanaians, we embody the core message of Luke 5:5 like never before as we celebrate this years World Fisheries Day. To our fishers from Denu to Axim: You have laboured – we see you, we appreciate you. This notwithstanding, let us launch deeper! Abide by the word of sustainable fishing practices: use the right mesh size, avoid fishing with chemicals, light fishing and “saiko”. To the regulator: At your word, invest in training, cold chains, and enforcement – not just promises, but action that increases the catch. To fisheries and Aquaculture researchers at University of Environment and Sustainable Development and other institutions across the nation: conduct scientific studies on sustainable aquaculture practices, fish stock assessment, and climate change impacts to guide evidence-based policies for Ghana’s fisheries. Let us continue training fisheries professionals, build local capacities, develop innovative technologies to improve fish feeds and breeding techniques.
And to us? Let us make conscious efforts to eat small for essential micronutrients, and advocate sustainable fishing practices.
This is because when we obey that call -that divine, determined “nevertheless”- our nets will not just fill; they will overflow. Ghana’s waters hold abundance, not just for today, but for our children’s children. So, let us pray, plan, and paddle out together. The deep is calling and the harvest awaits!