Some aspects of the sardinella fishery in Ghana
Two main species of sardinellas, namely Sardinella aurita and S. maderensis, are found in the Western Gulf of Guinea especially off Ghana and Ivory Coast. The fishery has a long history in Ghana and is extremely important both socially and economically. Early investigations have shown that the fishery, which is mainly artisanal, especially in Ghana, is influenced by climatic and oceanographic conditions. After unusually high catch, especially of the S. aurita, in 1972, yields from the sardinella fishery have been very variable and highly unpredictable. This has been of great concern to fishermen and fisheries scientists and is now clearly evident that research effort needs to be stepped up especially as regards the stock-environment relationship and possibly to be able to predict the future availability of the fish.
