The new law represents a transformative step towards building a sustainable, equitable, and economically viable fisheries sector in Ghana.
by Blue Africa News
Ghana’s fisheries and aquaculture sector has received a significant boost, following the enactment of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill, 2025.
Ghana President John Dramani Mahama assented to the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill, 2025, on August 21, ushering in a historic milestone in Ghana’s fisheries governance.
“The new Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2025, Act 1146, introduces bold reforms aimed at ensuring sustainability, compliance, and improved livelihood especially among the small-scale fishers,” read in part a statement issued by the Public Relations Unit, Ghana’s Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
The piece of legislation passed by the West Africa nation’s Parliament in July, “represents a transformative step towards building a sustainable, equitable, and economically viable fisheries sector that meets international standards.”
Highlights of the new Act include establishment of an independent fisheries commission charged with developing, managing, and conserving fisheries and aquaculture resources, strengthening legal and regulatory framework in alignment with international best practices and safeguarding seafood exports, in turn protecting over US$425 million in annual seafood exports by closing compliance gaps and avoiding trade sanctions.
The new law introduces stricter enforcement measures, backed up by tougher penalties against illegal fishing to restore depleted fish stocks and protect marine biodiversity, calls for protection of Ghanaian fisherfolk through improved safety, security, and welfare standards for crew and workers on fishing vessels, besides extending the Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ) from the current 6 to 12 nautical miles.
The expansion seeks to protect breeding grounds and ensure more catches, to sustain livelihoods of over 2.7 million artisanal fishers in Ghana.
Sector players have welcomed the signing of the Bill, advocating for full implementation to embed legal fishing into the Ghanaian fisheries and aquaculture ecosystem.
“Next big step is the effective implementation of Act 1146,” said Cephas Asare, a Fisheries, Blue Justice, Environmental and Social Justice advocate.
“This requires our collective effort to rebuild our fisheries and ensure Ghana remains the ultimate beneficiary of sustainable, ethical and legal fisheries.”
Blue Ventures, an organization that works around thriving fishes and oceans called for other West African countries to recognise the problem caused by industrial overfishing in coastal waters and “follow the example of Ghana with a solution that can safeguard the food security, health and well-being of coastal communities today and for generations to come.”
Oliver Ochieng, Blue Africa News