Passage of the bill comes at a time when aquaculture is emerging as a strategic sector for food security, job creation and export growth.
Ghana’s efforts to revamp and strengthen the governance of its fisheries and aquaculture sector have received a significant boost, following the passage of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill, 2025.
The new piece of legislation passed on July 16 is expected to boost sustainable management of fishery resources, improve the regulatory framework and promote investment in the sector, which currently supports over 2 million Ghanaians.
Extensive stakeholder consultations focused on improved regulation of the Inshore Exclusion Zone, protecting artisanal fishers, promoting sustainable aquaculture and combating illegal fishing, all geared toward addressing the European Union (EU’s) 2021 yellow card warning regarding legally sourced seafood.
The Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana hailed the passage, saying it comes at a time when aquaculture is emerging as a strategic sector for food security, job creation, and export growth.
“For stakeholders in the aquaculture space, the legislation offers clarity, targeted support, and stronger institutional backing,” the chamber noted in a media statement.
Ghana’s Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) said the bill replaces the “outdated” Fisheries Act, 2002 (Act 625) which has “for long been considered inadequate to address rising challenges in the sector,” particularly tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) activities.
“The Bill introduces electronic monitoring systems to comply with European Union and U.S. requirements for legally sourced seafood. Imposes stricter penalties to combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing,” MoFAD said after the bill was passed by the country’s parliament.
Ghanaian minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Emelia Arthur was instrumental in pushing the legislation through parliament.
It received full parliamentary approval with members of Parliament terming it “essential for modernizing the legal framework, strengthening monitoring and enforcement, protecting livelihoods, and maintaining international market access.”
The minister, who has been in the position for just six months, conceded that while Ghana’s fisheries sector was not perfect, “it is powerful.”
“What I have witnessed in these past months is deep, unshakable resilience. From Dixcove to Shama, from Jamestown to Tapa Abotoase, I have seen the spirit of men and women who refuse to give up,” she said recently, adding that despite the effects of illegal fishing, depleted stocks and policy gaps, the government should not fail those who depend on fishing for a livelihood.
The act is expected to usher in a new era of transparency, compliance, and sustainability in Ghana’s fisheries governance.
The fisheries and aquaculture sector contributes 4.5% to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and approximately 12% of agricultural income, according to a report on the review of fisheries and aquaculture policies in Ghana.