Moral economy and the sustainability of the arttisanal marine fishing industry in Shama, Ghana

Abstract

Fishing plays an important role in the Ghanaian economy and about 10% of Ghanaians directly or indirectly make their living from the fishery sub-sector. This, notwithstanding, artisanal fishing is characterised by seasonality, rising costs of operation and diminishing catches resulting from pirate fishing by foreign trawlers, use of illegal fishing techniques and, lately, the drilling of light crude oil offshore. The main objective of this paper was to examine traditional institutional arrangements within the artisanal fishing industry in Shama, a community along the west coast of Ghana. Emphasis was placed on social relations within the context of a moral economy that ensures that the fishing activities and livelihoods are sustained in the face of dwindling fish stocks and high expedition costs. The sustainable livelihood approach was reviewed to high-light the vulnerability context within which community livelihoods are obtained and the risk management and coping strategiesindividuals employ to deal with such vulnerabilities. Those risk coping strategies were carried out within the context of a community moral economy. A total of 33 respondents were selected by accidental and purposive sampling for the study. Interviewing, focus group discussions and non-participant observation were used for data collection and analysis. The study revealed that stakeholders in the artisanal marine fishing industry in Shama draw on family, social networks and social claims to ensure the sustainability of their livelihoods. It is through social networks and claims that the people were able to access financial capital to support their fishing businesses and cope with vulnerabilities.