Conference Proceedings Or Journal

 

The Current State of the Clam, Galatea paradoxa, Fishery at the Lower Volta River, Ghana Public Deposited

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/conference_proceedings_or_journals/2n49t657j

Descriptions

Attribute NameValues
Creator
Abstract
  • The clam, Galatea paradoxa has for decades been an important source of protein to the riparian communities of the lower Volta River and provides employment to about 2000 people, especially women. The fishing grounds have dwindled from 100 km from the pre-dam era to a narrow stretch of 10 km as a result of the development of sand bars at the estuary. This study was conducted to ascertain the socio-economic importance of the clam fishery to the people of the lower Volta, Ghana. The research found out that there were 251 fishing canoes and 503 fishers engaged in the clam fishery. The average daily catch per fishing canoe was 130 kg of clams, with an annual harvest of 7700 tonnes worth 4,620,408 Ghana Cedis. Commercial extinction of G. paradoxa is imminent in the lower Volta as a result of habitat alteration and overfishing. There is the need to put in place a sustainable harvesting measure that will target medium to large size clams against the current situation where the catch is dominated by smaller clams. It is recommended that a minimum landing size of 50 mm should be imposed. This should be done in consultation with the chiefs and traditional authorities in the communities which have managed the fishery to date. The marketing of clams below the 50 mm shell length limit should be abolished and enforced by the traditional authorities. Secondly, the farming of smaller clams, which is a traditional activity in the estuary, should be encouraged so that fishers who harvest undersize clams can seed them onto their culture plots.
Resource Type
Date Available
Date Issued
Citation
  • Adjei-Boateng, D. et al. The Current State of the Clam, Galatea paradoxa, Fishery at the Lower Volta River, Ghana In: Visible Possibilities: The Economics of Sustainable Fisheries, Aquaculture and Seafood Trade: Proceedings of the Sixteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, July 16-20, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Edited by Ann L. Shriver. International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET), Corvallis, 2012.
Conference Name
Keyword
Rights Statement
Funding Statement (additional comments about funding)
  • AQUAFISH, USAID, NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency, Norad, The World Bank, Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam, NAAFE, World Wildlife Fund, United Nations University Fisheries Training Programme, ICEIDA, JICA, JIFRS, The European Association of Fisheries Economists, International Seafood Sustainability Foundation
Publisher
Peer Reviewed
Language
Replaces

Relationships

Parents:

This work has no parents.

In Collection:

Items