Don't Jump the Fence

Abstract

"In Ghana, as in Senegal, there are hardly any foreign entrants to the national fishery. The socioeconomic situation is a lot more precarious, though. Illiteracy rates are very high (over 60 per cent), and community organization beyond traditional chief systems is very weak. Many communities live below the poverty line (often defined as a daily per capita income of less than US$1), sanitary conditions are daunting, and early recruitment of children into the fisheries leaves many actors within the sector without any formal education whatsoever. Poverty is mainly a result of booming coastal populations, increasing numbers of entrants joining the fishery, dwindling fish stocks and evaporating resource rent combined with an often inherent lack of access to viable economic alternatives."