Economics of marine canoe fisheries in Ghana
The artisanal canoe fishery has, in recent times, reverted to its role as the mainstay of Ghana’s fishing industry; it now contributes well over 70 percent annually to total domestic catch. It is in light of this that greater attention needs to be to every aspect of fishery including the economics of its operation. This paper therefore explores the economics of the fishery relying on secondary sources of data. The paper examines, in particular, the net effects of Ghana’s structural adjustment policies on the canoe fishery with regards to pricing policy and access to credit. The analysis reveals that whereas the industry may have suffered from the removal of statutory lending to the industry from financial institutions, pricing policies have generally enhanced the earning capacity of canoe fishermen since real prices of fish have generally moved in sympathy with the general rise in the cost of operations. Nevertheless, prices of fishing gear as well as fishing inputs have generally resulted in high cost of fishing operations. The increase in operations cost has, however, been largely cushioned by heavy subsidy on premix (at the study) which is major cost item for motorized operators. The conclusion from his study is that the canoe fishery seems to be reaping some profits from their operation and profits raise mainly out of upward movements in the prices of fish coupled with a subsidy on fuel (which has since been removed).
