‘The Sea Is the Only Means of Feeding’: Coping Strategies in Ghanaian Fishing Communities During the Closed Season

Seasonality is a core aspect of life in West African artisanal fishing communities, with fisherfolk having long adapted to bumper and lean fishing seasons. In an attempt to tackle dwindling fish stocks, however, the Government of Ghana introduced a month-long closed fishing season. This paper explores the ways in which fishing communities, which are accustomed to seasonal change, make sense of and cope with the external imposition of a closed season. Through bringing a livelihoods approach together with a seasonal cultures approach, we examine the impact of the closed season on men and women working in artisanal fishing and in alternative livelihoods, and analyse their coping strategies before, during and after the closed season. Our findings show how numerous coping strategies are adopted including saving, taking out loans, storing fish, engaging in alternative income-generating activities, reducing food intake, and migrating, however, many of these are only available to more resource-rich households. Despite a seasonal culture being integral to fishing livelihoods, the external imposition of a closed season severely disrupts their rhythmic patterns and results in household assets changing abruptly. This creates serious challenges for livelihood adaptation and brings considerable hardship not only to fisherfolk but all community members. We argue for the importance of listening to the voices of fisherfolk and integrating their indigenous knowledge with scientific knowledge when devising artisanal fishing policies. The imposition of a closed season alone will not resolve the challenges facing fishing communities, rather sustained attempts to eliminate illegal fishing practices by both artisanal and commercial fishing are required for the sector to be sustainable.