Socio-economic Impact of Sargassum Influx Events on Artisanal Fishing in Ghana

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-1861970/v1

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Socio-economic Impact of Sargassum Influx Events on Artisanal Fishing in Ghana

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1861970/v1

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Sargassum is a free-floating brown macroalgae that has many benefits in the marine environment however has been reported to impact diverse sectors of human livelihoods. Sargassum influx has been experienced in Ghana since 2009. The consequences of this influx have been significantly felt by coastal communities who depend on the fisheries for their livelihood This study determined the impact sargassum has on the fisheries value chain in three coastal communities: Sanzule, Beyin and Newtown. The method adopted was focus group discussions, group surveys, photography and field observations. The results revealed that over 70% of the respondents depend on the fisheries for their livelihood. Sargassum influx has negatively impacted these communities through a reduction in fish catch and fishing effort leading to loss of investment and sustenance. Comprehensive management of sargassum is recommended to alleviate the impact of sargassum influx event on these coastal communities.

Sargassum

Fisheries

Sustainability

Livelihood

Poverty

Socioeconomic

Sargassum is a genus of brown seaweed with over 300 species distributed across the world in both temperate and tropical climates (UNEP, 2021). Many of these species are pelagic with a benthic phase in their lifecycle. However, the sargassum of interest is a unique seaweed that is described as holopelagic because it is not only free-floating but reproduces vegetatively on the high seas, unlike other seaweeds that reproduce and begin life on the ocean floor (benthic phase) (Laffoley et al., 2011). They are found free-floating as mats in the Atlantic and are naturally occurring in the Sargasso Sea. It has been described as the “golden tide” or “golden floating rainforest” (Laffoley et al, 2011). The Sargasso Sea is entirely located in the Atlantic Ocean and is the only sea without a land boundary. It is sustained by four currents forming an ocean gyre: the Gulfstream on the western boundary, the North Atlantic Current to the north, the Canary Current to the East, and the North Atlantic Equatorial Current to the South (Butler et al.,1983, Coston-Clements 1991). It is also common in the Gulf of Mexico where it blooms in the spring and supplies the Sargasso Sea population via the Gulf Stream current, and it has been known to occur occasionally in the Caribbean (Wang et al. 2019).

Sargassum is beneficial in several ways. In this region, it is extremely important in the life cycle of certain marine species. Some threatened and endangered eels and the white marlin, porbeagle shark, and dolphinfish utilize the sargasso sea as spawning grounds. Humpback whales annually migrate through the Sargasso Sea. Commercial fish, such as tuna, and birds also migrate through the Sargasso Sea and depend on it for food. Sea turtle hatchlings use the mats as a source of shelter and food (NOAA, 2021). Many other marine organisms such as crabs, shrimps, and fish are adapted to live within the mats (Coston-Clements et al., 1991). Other potential benefits include use in soil fertilizer, animal feed, biofuel energy, construction blocks, bioplastics and pharmaceutical products (Milledge et al., 2016; Chávez et al., 2020b; Thompson et al 2020).

However, the challenges emerge when huge densities mass up on the nearshore areas and beaches of coastal communities. Impacts experienced are categorized as biophysical or socioeconomic (UNEP-CEP 2021. Biophysical sectors impacted include the nearshore marine life, coastal ecosystems and shorelines, and beaches while socioeconomically impacted sectors include tourism, fisheries, public health, coastal living, and marine transport (UNEP-CEP 2021). Sargassum beach landings hinder the movement of marine life such as sea turtle hatchlings (Maurer et al., 2015). Additionally, sunlight penetration through the water column is limited, thereby hampering the performance of benthic organisms (McGlathery 2001).

In Ghana, more than 60% of the citizens live within 200 km of the coast and 42% within 100 km (Perry et al., 2007). The artisanal or small-scale fisheries sector employs an estimated 80% of fishers in the country the majority of whom are men, however, women play a vital role in the sector through fish preservation, processing, and marketing (FAO, 2022). The fisheries sector employs an estimated 2.4 million individuals which make up about 10% of the population (Asiedu et al., 2017; Nunoo et al., 2014). The small-scale fisheries sector is estimated to contribute about 3% to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and generate revenue of $341 million annually (Belhabib et al., 2015). About 60% of the protein requirement is obtained from fish as a more affordable source of protein (Coastal Resources Center, 2018). The coastal regions of the country are particularly dependent on fisheries for their livelihoods. Marine fisheries are the primary source of income for more than 200 coastal villages, including about 200,000 fishers with approximately 2 million dependents (Nunoo et al., 2014).

The first report of a sargassum sighting was made in 2009 on the western coast of Ghana (Addico et al., 2016). However, the first major influx was recorded between 2011 and 2012 (Ackah-Baidoo 2013, Fidai et al., 2020, Marsh et al., 2021). Since that first report, the densities have been observed to increase annually. Although it has been a constant feature for over a decade not much empirical evidence has been collected to elucidate the drivers and extent of the impact on the environment and coastal communities.

The persistence of the influx has become a problem for coastal communities that depend on fishing and the ocean for their livelihood. Reports have been made of the pungent odour the decomposing sargassum emits due to the release of hydrogen sulphide gas, which prevents coastal communities from utilizing the ocean and beaches effectively altering their way of life (Resiere et al., 2018). Others have reported skin irritation when they encounter sargassum on the beach. Financial losses due to the destruction of fishing nets breaking when they collect sargassum, outboard motors damage when these weeds get entangled, the wasted effort since fishermen end up with sargassum filling their nets instead of fish, thereby wasting time and the expensive fuel for fishing vessels.

Therefore, this research aimed to determine the impact of sargassum influx events on artisanal fisheries in three coastal communities. Specifically, the objectives are to determine the demographics that exist in these communities and determine how the influx impacts them; Fishing practices; establish the history of influx events and seek local knowledge on possible uses of sargassum.

2.1 Study Site

Three coastal communities which have historically been reported to be inundated by the influx of sargassum were selected. Sanzule, Beyin, and Newtown in the Western region of Ghana. These communities are known to be small-scale fishing communities that have been gravely impacted by the sargassum “menace”. Sanzule (4.9611° N, 2.4536°W) is in Nzema East in the Ellembelle District, while Beyin (4.9885°N, 2.5904°W) and Newtown (5.0909°N, 3.0983°W) are communities in the Jomoro District (Fig. 1).

2.2 Data collection and analysis

Data collection included focus group discussions, transect walks, photography and field observations. The different sources of data were triangulated to cross-validate and corroborate the findings. Focus group discussion consists of four major steps; these include (1) research design, (2) data collection, (3) analysis, and (4) reporting of results (Morgan et al., 1998) as seen in Fig. 2 (Nyumba et al., 2018).

We sought to investigate the demographics, fishing practices, history of influx events, management, and impact of these events on their livelihoods. Participants were randomly selected for this study. There were 79 respondents for the study: 30 from Sanzule, 29 from Newtown, and 20 from Beyin these divisions were based on the availability of respondents. Audios in the local Nzema language were recorded and transcribed to English for further analysis. The data were analyzed with SPSS statistical package version 20 (IBM Corp, 2011).

The analysis revealed that out of the total respondents that were interviewed, 44.3% were female while 55.7% were male. The data suggests that the predominant occupations in these communities are all in the fisheries value chain with an almost equal percentage of fishmongers (women) to fishermen (men) which equates to 77% of the participants with 23% representing the community members in other occupations. Figures 3 and 4 reveal that although some women can be fishermen in these areas, all the fishmongers are female which supports literature where women are predominantly the marketers and processors of landed fish.

Women play a crucial role in the fisheries sector by contributing about 50% of the workforce by providing pre-and post-harvest services such as financing the fleet and processing and marketing the catch (World Bank, 2012; Bennett, 2005). This was no different from these communities where each group has an equal balance of males to females performing different functions along the fisheries value chain. When asked what period within the year sargassum influx usually occurs, 59.9% reported a seasonal occurrence with the highest seen between March and September; followed by 7.7% all-year-round occurrences. About 1.3% reported observing the influx only when the oil rigs are operational suggesting that the extractive activity that occurs in the offshore waters of these communities is linked to the influx of Sargassum and the exponential increase in volumes over the years. The 1.3% is at variance with recorded discussions where there was a unanimous agreement that Sargassum was first seen in the Western coast water when the oil and gas extraction began in 2011. However, a direct scientific link has not been made between the oil and gas activities and the sargassum influx.

About 97% identified sargassum to be waste and cannot be utilized which is at variance with what has been observed in areas such as the Caribbean, which is also impacted greatly by the sargassum presence in their tourism, fisheries, water navigation, and sports sector (Robledo et al., 2021; UNEP-CEP, 2021). About 82% of the fishermen, 12% of fishmongers, and 6% of community members own boats (Fig. 4)

Damage to fishing gear was reported by 98% of respondents in the fisheries value chain while 2% reported no damage (Fig. 5). Fishing nets breaking, and outboard motors clogging were the main complaints from fishermen interview.

These cause a huge financial drain on the artisanal sector. Already reduced harvest due to overfishing (adf, 2022) is aggravated with the presence of this seaweed as fishers end up with a sargassum harvest instead of fish when they go fishing (Template 1).

The marine fisheries and coastal zones in Ghana are a great resource that employs a vast majority of coastal dwellers. However, some of these coastal dwellers are among the poorest in the country therefore though they depend on the fisheries, they can only afford subsistence exploitation of this resource. According to inhabitants in the study areas, fishing has been heavily impacted due to the sargassum influx. Templates 1 and 2 show fish landing showing sargassum and fish with sargassum appearing to be more than the fish caught which highlights their plight in sargassum season. Fishermen and those in the fisheries value chain invest in their fishing gear and other resources required for their trade; loans that need to be repaid are also used. Therefore, huge losses are incurred during sargassum season. These communities are forced to adopt the ‘no fishing’ season when sargassum influx begins to protect their investment. Fish harvested from these catches are inadequate; fish from these catches have also been reported to have shorter shelf life observed through increased spoilage. Fish processors who are mostly women (Template 3–6) are impacted since catches are inadequate. The women are usually the financiers of the fishing expedition(EFJ, 2022) therefore a ripple effect of ‘no fishing’ ‘no fish’ ‘no money’ and ‘no food’ are felt by all including their families.

During the interviews, 100% the participants were of the view that the oil and gas industry in Ghana was to blame for the sargassum influx. One fisherman was quoted as saying “when they start working, within three days, sargassum will come”. This was observed in all the communities. This assertion has however not been scientifically proven. The oil and gas activities in Ghana began in 2012, coinciding with the highest influx first recorded. This, the communities believe was due to their activities as they report that prior to the inception of the oil and gas exploration, representatives of this industry in stakeholder engagements informed them of experiencing possible adverse effects from their activities but promised to support these communities when this happens. Although these effects were not enumerated, communities are linking the influx to the activities of this industry possibly due to the coincidental nature of the start of operations and the sargassum influx. Apart from a reduction in the catch, fishing effort is also reduced (fishing is halted). The reduced catch is further exacerbated due to a reduced shelf life through faster spoilage as reported by the fishermen and fish processors.

Tourism is another way that coastal dwellers generate income. It has received significant consideration since the late 1980s in the economic development strategy of Ghana with the coastal zone playing a pertinent role in attracting both international and local tourists to the beach, sun, and water (Tweneboah et al., 2009). Therefore, apart from the artisanal fisheries, tourism also serves as a source of income with some coastal dwellers relying on the beaches to survive. However, since this influx was first reported in 2009 and the 2011 subsequent massive landing, both the fisheries and tourism have been impacted greatly. Templates 7 and 8 show a previously pristine beach in Beyin almost entirely covered with Sargassum respectively. This implies that most frequent beach lovers will avoid the beaches leading to a loss of income for all those who rely on their patronage for their survival.

Sargassum seems to be a complete menace to the fishing communities in the Western Region of Ghana and is impacting their livelihoods greatly. The densities and frequency of sargassum landings seem to be increasing according to the interviews and interaction with coastal communities, which means the plight of these communities is worsening. Therefore, we recommend accelerating research into early warning systems to enable the communities affected to prepare adequately. Also, increase research into the biology of sargassum and the benefit that can be derived from it to mitigate the negative impacts experienced so far; scientific experiments must be conducted to determine if the oil and gas industry has any impact on sargassum propagation. Local authorities such as District Assemblies must develop a management strategy and the communities educated on it as the current impression based on this study is that the government (through the local assembly) is nonchalant about their plight during sargassum season. Alternative sources of livelihood must be considered for the period that sargassum prevents usual fishing activities.

Acknowledgment

This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council [grant number ES/T002964/1].

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Template 1 to 8 are available in the Supplementary Files section.

No competing interests reported.

Template1.png
Template 1: Fishing nets filled with sargassum and fish
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Template 2: Sargassum and fish caught in nets
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Template 3: Fishing nets harvesting sargassum instead of fish
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Template 4: Fishing nets harvesting sargassum instead of fish
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Template 5 Harvesting of fish from sargassum landed in net and quantity of fish harvested in the black polythene
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Template 6: Harvesting of fish from sargassum landed in net and quantity of fish harvested in the black polythene
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Template 7: Beyin beach before and after sargassum influx
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Template 8: Beyin beach before and after sargassum influx

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Socio-economic Impact of Sargassum Influx Events on Artisanal Fishing in Ghana

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Abstract

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1. Introduction

2. Methods

2.1 Study Site

2.2 Data collection and analysis

3. Results And Discussion

4. Conclusion

Declarations

Acknowledgment

References

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Supplementary Files

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