R 300831Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7538

UNCLAS ACCRA 000069 
 
 
FOR OES/PCI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV ZF KCRM GH
 
SUBJECT: FISHERIES AND COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY 
UPDATES 
 
SUMMARY 
 
¶1. Marine fisheries and coastal zones are topics of discussion 
included in exchanges on climate change, rising sea levels and 
increasing coastal populations.  Increasing pressure on global 
fish stocks caused by poor management and enforcement and 
increasing populations in coastal urban centers continue to 
impact local, national and regional economies.  The science 
and security challenges continue to mount in Ghana and in the 
region. END SUMMARY 
 
FISHERIES 
 
¶2.  The Regional Environmental Officer (REO) met with the 
Chief Director of the former Ministry of Fisheries on January 
23, 2009.  Mr. Quaye, an administration hold over for the GoG 
transition period, implied the Ministry of Fisheries would 
revert to a Fisheries Department under the Ministry of 
Agriculture.  This administrative change was confirmed in a 
Presidential press release on 24 January 2009.  In light of 
this ministerial change, Mr. Quaye maintained his attitude 
regarding the importance of the Ghanaian fishing industry.  He 
indicated the fishing industry employs about ten percent of 
the Ghanaian population and continues to be negatively 
impacted by illegal pair trawling.  He stressed the need for 
continued support from GoG and the donor community for the 
eventual construction of 6 cold storage facilities, 2 fishing 
harbors and 12 landing sites to sustain the Ghanaian fishing 
industry on an international basis.  Mr. Quaye repeated the 
need for a comprehensive fisheries monitoring and surveillance 
program and expressed the need for joint maritime-fisheries 
patrolling.   He also mentioned the purchase of six Chinese 
maritime patrol vessels.  He did not elaborate on financial 
details of the acquisition or the physical characteristics of 
the new patrol vessels.  He thought that new patrol vessels 
could begin to arrive in Ghana within the next six months. 
They would be operated by the Ghanaian Navy and there would be 
trained fisheries observers participating on routine maritime 
patrols. COMMENT:  It would be refreshing to find a joint 
mission statement supporting combined maritime-fisheries 
patrolling in the Ghanaian exclusive economic zone. END 
COMMENT. 
 
COASTAL ZONES 
 
¶3.  The Ghanaian coastal zone plays an increasingly important 
role in the accommodation of industry and human domicile.  The 
increased competition for developable land to support industry 
and human domicile will continue to impact effective coastal 
zone planning practices.  Sustained investment in the Ghanaian 
coastal zones is necessary.  Science and engineering can 
contribute to proactive coastal zone management policy 
designed to manage natural resources and sustain 
infrastructure in the coastal zone. COMMENT:  The 
infrastructure projects mentioned in Para 2 can also be viewed 
as site specific plans to mitigate the effects of coastal 
erosion. END COMMENT.  The recent USG support ($151,000 USD) 
provided by DoD to develop an oceanographic research 
partnership with the University of Ghana will provide 
meaningful PHD level research for improved understanding of 
the coastal dynamics in the Ghanaian coastal zone. 
Additionally, USAID-Ghana has committed $3million USD (bio- 
diversity funds) to the USAID Sustainable Coastal Communities 
and Ecosystems (SUCCESS) program under the leadership of the 
University of Rhode Island Coastal Resource Center (URICRC). 
The program will be focused at about 150 coastal communities 
along West Coast of Ghana, between Cape Three Points and the 
Border with Cote d Ivoire.  USAID Ghana will provide more 
details in the coming weeks on this SUCCESS project. 
 
¶4. For further discussion contact Geoffrey Hunt at +233-21- 
741- 417 or Patience Charway at +233-21-741-839. 
 
TEITELBAUM