As dawn breaks over Ghana\u2019s Atlantic coast, artisanal fishing boats return to shore with last night\u2019s catch \u2014 baskets of snapper, crabs, rays and a distinct-looking fish locals call \u201cesene\u201d. Once abundant along Ghana\u2019s shores, esene, or guitarfish \u2014 with the flattened body of a ray and the tail of a shark \u2014 have become increasingly difficult to find. For conservationist Issah Seidu, 36, every landing is a reminder that time is running out to save the endangered species.<\/p>\n
After studying terrestrial wildlife, he visited coastal fishing communities in 2018 and encountered what scientists describe as one of the world\u2019s least-known conservation crises. \u201cWe came to these communities and saw piles of sharks, rays and guitarfish being landed without any thought about conservation,\u201d Seidu told AFP. \u201cThat was the moment I realized somebody had to do something,\u201d said the wildlife biologist, who never dreamt of a career revolving around the sea.<\/p>\n
Guitarfish \u2014 relatives of both sharks and rays \u2014 are among the world\u2019s most threatened marine fish, red-listed as \u201ccritically endangered\u201d by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Their meat is a delicacy widely eaten locally, while their fins command high prices in international markets. Across west Africa, populations have collapsed. Sawfish may have already disappeared from Ghana\u2019s waters and wedgefish, another close relative, have become increasingly scarce. Seidu fears guitarfish could be next.<\/p>\n
Winning over fishermen<\/p>\n
The biggest challenge has been persuading fishermen to stop catching one of their most valuable species. Seidu\u2019s NGO AquaLife Conservancy has helped boost knowledge about conservation. And instead of simply asking fishermen to stop, it has helped develop snail farming as an alternative livelihood. Today, rows of giant African snails crawl inside wooden pens in Adjoa, a coastal community where fishing families are testing the new source of income. \u201cThe fishermen themselves selected snail farming,\u201d said Seidu \u2014 and they cannot meet the demand.<\/p>\n
Edward Afful, a fisherman of 20 years, says shrinking catches have left many crews struggling to recover the cost of fuel for their boats. He now raises snails alongside fishing. \u201cIf we had started this years ago, everyone would have benefitted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Locals map the sea<\/p>\n
In a historic first, Ghana in April designated a 703-sq-km stretch of the Atlantic Ocean as a marine protected area (MPA) to be co-managed by coastal communities and national government. \u201cThere are very unique species in the area that need to be protected, including the guitarfish,\u201d said University of Ghana\u2019s Francis Nunoo, a professor in fisheries science. As policymakers in the capital put the finishing touches to the design and implementation of the national MPA, Seidu and local fishermen in Adjoa and Apam, several hours\u2019 drive from Accra, are already showing what it can look like. They have created their own \u201clocally managed marine area\u201d.<\/p>\n
Seidu equipped fishermen with GPS trackers to identify where guitarfish gather and spawn. Together they have mapped about 15 sq km of critical habitat. \u201cThe fishermen are the custodians of these places,\u201d Seidu said. \u201cThey know where the species congregate and where the nursery grounds are.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Apam, trader Evelyn Akorful, 41, has seen catches fluctuate with the seasons but has nevertheless noticed a steady decline over the years. \u201cNow we don\u2019t get as much as before,\u201d she said, blaming destructive fishing methods, particularly the use of lights at sea, for the depleting stocks. For her family, every catch counts. Sales of guitarfish, crabs and other species help pay school fees and household expenses. \u201cIf we don\u2019t get one fish, we try another. We survive by mixing everything,\u201d she said, dangling two freshly caught guitarfish from her hands.<\/p>\n
Older residents have seen stocks decline over decades. \u201cWhen I was young, guitarfish were everywhere,\u201d said Jonathan Abadu Kennedy, 57, a former local lawmaker known as Uncle Ebo. \u201cYou could catch several within minutes using hook and line.\u201d Today, large guitarfish have almost vanished, he said, blaming pollution, changing fishing practices and climate change.<\/p>\n
When dried and salted, guitarfish is used in soups and stews across Ghana. But the fins are swooped up by traders for the international markets, where they are used in shark-fin soup. \u201cThe Chinese market is quite large,\u201d Seidu said. \u201cIt creates additional incentives for fishermen\u201d and makes conservation even harder. For Seidu, success will not be measured only by the number of guitarfish left in Ghana\u2019s waters. \u201cWhen the majority of fishermen become aware that their actions matter and choose to protect the species themselves,\u201d he said, \u201cthat is success\u201d. \u2013 AFP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As dawn breaks over Ghana\u2019s Atlantic coast, artisanal fishing boats return to shore with last night\u2019s catch \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":348129,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[28],"tags":[167793,79,19496,19495,167791,22629,167792],"class_list":["post-348128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ghana","tag-endangered-fish","tag-ghana","tag-kuwait-news","tag-kuwait-times","tag-one-mans","tag-race","tag-save-critically"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@africa\/116983219471533568","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348128\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/348129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}