According to EJF, Ghana loses nearly USD$23.7 million in revenue annually due to IUU fishing activities.
The Ghanaian government has stepped up efforts to tackle illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, responding to the European Union’s concerns that have threatened the country’s seafood exports to Europe.
Emelia Arthur, the country’s minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture said the steps include the submission of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill, 2025, to Parliament, under a certificate of urgency.
“The Bill, along with its accompanying regulations, is critical to improving governance and reversing the yellow card,” she noted, during a Parliamentary session.
She also cited enforcement efforts, including the April 2025 suspension of licenses of four trawl vessels involved in illegal transshipment, “demonstrating Ghana’s resolve to combat IUU fishing and protect marine resources.”
In June, 2021, EU has issued a second yellow card to Ghana with a warning that the West African country was on course to losing its access to the European seafood market, for failing to avert illegal fishing within its exclusive economic zone.
The European Union noted that with an estimated 448,200 metric tons of annual fishing production, Ghana had failed to tackle illegal fishing.
“The Commission stands for zero tolerance for IUU fishing. Ghana plays an important role in fisheries governance in West Africa,” said Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs, and Fisheries.
Virginijus said they were ready to work with Ghana to address the threats IUU fishing poses to the sustainability of fish stocks, coastal communities and food security.
The yellow card is yet to be reversed, with minister Emelia stating that she has since held talks with the Director-General of the EU Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, reaffirming Ghana’s commitment to the required reforms.
Ghana was first issued with a yellow card by the European Union in 2013. That warning was however lifted in 2015, after the government promulgated well-constructed policies on illegal fishing.
Regrettably, the policies were not implemented or enforced leading to a second yellow card 6 years later.
The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) notes that Ghana, with its 536 km coastline, has the lowest licensing fees in the region, making it vulnerable to exploitation by foreign vessels.
According to EJF, Ghana loses nearly USD$23.7 million in revenue annually due to IUU fishing activities.