Ghana’s newly enacted Fisheries and Aquaculture Act has been widely praised as a breakthrough in marine conservation, yet environmental advocates warn the law fails to address a mounting crisis that could undermine its entire purpose: toxic pollution from illegal mining pouring into the ocean.
President John Dramani Mahama signed the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2025 (Act 1146) into law in August following its passage by Parliament in July. The legislation introduces sweeping reforms including establishment of an independent Fisheries Commission, expansion of the Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ) from six to 12 nautical miles, and stricter penalties against illegal fishing.
The law aims to protect over $425 million in annual seafood exports while sustaining livelihoods for approximately 2.7 million artisanal fishers. The reforms specifically target illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which costs Ghana between $14.4 million and $23.7 million annually.
The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) welcomed the reforms as a turning point for coastal communities. Chief Executive Officer Steve Trent described the presidential assent as signaling leadership and commitment to millions who rely on healthy ocean ecosystems. EJF data shows average annual income for artisanal canoes has dropped by as much as 40 percent over the past 15 years, with more than 90 percent of small-scale fishers reporting declining catches.
Yet beneath this optimism lies a threat the new law does not confront. Major rivers including the Pra, Ankobra, Offin, and Birim now carry heavy loads of silt, mercury, cyanide and other contaminants from illegal mining operations known locally as galamsey into coastal waters.
Research indicates over 60 percent of Ghana’s water bodies are contaminated due to galamsey activities. The town of Shama in the Western Region has experienced severe marine pollution since around 2021, when the Pra River began carrying mining waste directly into the sea.
The pollution damages crucial spawning habitats. Many fish species such as sardinella rely on freshwater ecosystems like estuaries and river deltas to lay eggs and breed, but when these areas become choked with silt and heavy metals, fish cannot reproduce at sustainable levels. The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture reports Ghana’s annual fish demand stands at approximately 1.2 million metric tonnes.
Coastal communities have raised alarms. Fishing towns including Elmina, Axim, Keta and Tema report dwindling fish stocks, unhealthy catches and increasing signs that toxic runoff from inland mining is poisoning their seas. Social media videos show murky brown sludge gushing from rivers into the ocean, with schools of fish struggling against suffocating pollution.
The National Fisheries Association of Ghana (NAFAG) has called for immediate action. Vice Chairman Richster Nii Amarh Amarfio stressed that challenges facing fisheries cannot be attributed entirely to IUU fishing. According to NAFAG, resolving the galamsey issue is essential for survival of both inland water bodies and the ocean.
The Ghana Water Company Limited warned this month of severe water scarcity if galamsey is not curtailed, having recorded water turbidity levels of 14,000 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU), far above the 2,000 NTU required for adequate treatment. Experts suggest the country could be importing water by 2030.
Research links water pollution from galamsey to chronic diseases including kidney failure, birth defects and cancer in many mining communities. According to USAID and local health officials, the contaminated rivers contain chemicals that can linger in the environment for more than 1,000 years.
The government has designated Ghana’s first Marine Protected Area (MPA) within the Greater Cape Three Points region. Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Emelia Arthur called the MPA a timely intervention to restore marine health and rebuild fish stocks. The roughly 700 square kilometer area stretches from Ampatano to Domunli.
However, questions persist about why similar attention has not extended to areas like Shama and Ankobra, where pollution impacts are visibly severe. One coastal ecologist warned that marine stocks cannot be rebuilt if mercury and cyanide are being flushed into the ocean daily, noting the problem originates upstream rather than offshore.
In 2021, the European Union issued Ghana a yellow card, warning the country could lose access to European seafood markets unless stronger action was taken against IUU fishing. While the new act addresses this concern, it does not establish mechanisms to monitor or mitigate pollution from terrestrial sources affecting marine ecosystems.
Dr Godwin Djokoto, Coordinator of the Ocean Governance Project, praised government efforts but argued the act was passed too quickly and contains technical flaws that could complicate enforcement. He pointed to a clause requiring the Fisheries Commission to collaborate with specific voluntary organizations, creating potential administrative challenges if any groups become inactive.
During a stakeholder consultation on the new act, Dr Djokoto stressed the importance of using the one year period for drafting regulations to resolve such issues. He suggested using broader language like “stakeholders” would prevent future complications.
Previous government efforts to curb galamsey have struggled due to corruption and lack of political will. To date, 500 excavators seized from illegal mining operations have gone missing without trace. Key state officials, party financiers and high-ranking politicians have been named as culprits but have not been prosecuted.
Since August 2021, Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame reported 76 people have been convicted over galamsey, with more than 850 facing trial. The government has deployed various military operations including Operation Halt, Operation Vanguard, Operation Flush Out and Galamstop. In some instances, mining equipment like excavators were seized and burned.
Illegal galamsey operations are estimated to cost Ghana more than $2.3 billion annually in lost revenue and illegal smuggling. As global gold prices have risen approximately 30 percent in the past year, these illegal operations are likely to increase dramatically.
John Allotey, head of Ghana’s Forestry Commission, stated that 34 out of 288 forest reserves have been impacted across seven of the country’s 16 regions. More than 100,000 acres of cocoa farms have been destroyed through galamsey operations.
Without an integrated response connecting fisheries management to land-based environmental regulation, experts warn the sector’s recovery will remain fragile. The country risks rebuilding parts of its marine environment while losing others, setting the stage for yet another policy gap that future legislation will be forced to address.
The call to action is clear: stakeholders and citizens must urgently confront this mounting threat before it overwhelms efforts to restore Ghana’s fisheries. While the new law represents important progress in combating illegal fishing, its effectiveness may be severely limited if pollution from upstream mining continues unchecked.
