Parliament has passed the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill, 2025, aimed at strengthening the regulation, sustainability, and governance of Ghana’s fisheries and aquaculture sector—an industry crucial to national economic development.
The newly approved legislation establishes a modern legal framework to promote sustainable exploitation, conservation, and effective management of aquatic resources. The bill also provides for the adoption of an Electronic Monitoring System to ensure compliance with European Union (EU) and United States (US) import standards for legally sourced seafood.
Once signed into law by the President, the legislation will create a Fisheries Commission tasked with overseeing the long-term management and development of fisheries and aquaculture resources. It also introduces stricter penalties to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Addressing IUU Fishing and International Compliance
Ghana’s existing legal framework—the Fisheries Act, 2002 (Act 625)—has been deemed outdated and inadequate in tackling IUU fishing. In 2021, the European Commission issued Ghana a "yellow card" warning due to its failure to effectively address IUU fishing practices.
If not rectified, this could escalate to a "red card," resulting in a ban on fish exports to EU markets—potentially costing the country an estimated $425.9 million in lost revenue.
The Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill, introduced by the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Emelia Arthur, on June 3, 2025, was referred to the Parliamentary Committee on Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs for further review and recommendations.
Committee Justification and Sector Importance
The committee’s report, signed by Chairman Dr. Godfred Seidu Jasaw, underscored the significance of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors to Ghana’s socio-economic development, particularly in job creation, poverty alleviation, foreign exchange earnings, and GDP contribution.
The report emphasized the urgent need for a robust and contemporary legal regime that ensures responsible fishing, environmental conservation, and adherence to both local and international standards.
Ghana’s current fisheries laws include:
- Fisheries Act, 2002 (Act 625)
- Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 2014 (Act 880)
- Fisheries Regulations, 2010 (L.I. 1968)
- Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations, 2015 (L.I. 2217)
- National Premix Fuel Committee Regulations, 2016 (L.I. 2233)
However, the core Act has not undergone comprehensive reforms since 2002, despite evolving challenges in sustainable fisheries management.
Legal Gaps and Policy Reforms
The committee highlighted several gaps in the current legal framework, particularly the lack of integration of international commitments such as the Port State Measures Agreement, which Ghana has ratified. The outdated laws also fail to adequately address modern aquaculture practices, post-harvest handling, inland fishing, gear selectivity, and climate change concerns.
Past assessments by the World Bank's West African Regional Fisheries Programme (2015) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (2019) identified these deficiencies, citing legal inconsistencies and the fragmented nature of reforms.
The newly passed bill seeks to consolidate and modernize Ghana’s fisheries governance structure to better align with global standards. It is also expected to enhance food security and environmental protection.
“These legislative reforms are designed to align Ghana with international fisheries management obligations, ensuring both ecological and economic sustainability in the long term,” the committee’s report concluded.
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Source: The Ghana Report
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