Industrial and Environmental Pressures Affecting Fante-Speaking Artisanal Fishers of Anomabo, Ghana: A Case Study

Abstract

A great deal of literature exists regarding the global fisheries crisis. However, the human element has been largely overlooked. This study seeks to understand the relationship that traditional Fante-speaking peoples have with oceanic resources. Interviews with artisanal fishers, trades-women, and influential elders from the coastal village of Anomabo in the Central Region of Ghana were conducted over a six-week period. Interviews revealed the degree to which artisanal fishers compete with industrial fleets (both domestic and foreign), the nutritional and economic importance of the artisanal industry as well as the cultural practices embedded within maritime subsistence activities. Industrial fisheries threaten global marine stocks, and with them, the survival of cultures tied to the sea. This study suggests a necessity for swift policy change in order to ensure the health of West African marine stocks, and to protect the nutritional, economic, and cultural basis of Fante-speaking communities.