Livelihood Implications of Chinese Industrial Trawling Activities in Ghana; A Gender Analysis of Vulnerabilities and Coping Strategies of Artisanal Fishers and Coastal Dwellers

As the world’s largest producer of fish products and a leading player in West Africa’s bottom trawl fishery with hundreds of vessels operating in the African waters, China’s presence in Ghana’s industrial trawl sector remains critical as far as the livelihoods of fishers, fishing communities and sustainable fisheries management in Ghana are concerned. This study therefore sought to examine the vulnerabilities associated with Chinese trawling activities among Ghanaian artisanal fishers and coastal community dwellers, as well as the livelihood strategies adopted to cope with the vulnerabilities. Using Elmina as a study area, and guided by the concurrent triangulation mixed methods design; data was obtained from 549 fishers through self-administered questionnaires, interviews with 8 community members, 12 group discussions and field notes. Insights were drawn from the feminist political ecology and the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework to guide the analysis of the data. The findings revealed that fishers and community members have been exposed to various forms of vulnerabilities; mainly evident in terms of decline in fish catch and incomes, as well as reduction in economic activities in the community; with significant differences among the gender groups. Amidst these vulnerabilities, fishers adopted survival strategies to help them cope with these vulnerabilities. However, fishers had inadequate options of in terms of strategies, therefore their abilities to overcome with the vulnerabilities were limited. The study concludes that the presence of the Chinese in the fishing industry has exacerbated the vulnerable conditions of local fishers and smacks off issues of social injustice. As such, there is the need for proper regulation and management of the industrial trawl sector to ensure social justice and equity for fishing communities and the sustainability of Ghana’s fisheries.