Amid continued debate over marine spaces, the question of who leads and shapes action has never been more critical to answer. The European Union’s (EU) Ocean Act presents a crucial opportunity to change the future of Europe’s seas equitably and sustainably, and lessons can be learnt from small-scale fishers thousands of kilometers away in West Africa. Ghana faces immense economic pressures, and despite access to far less financial and scientific resources than the EU, the government has committed to strong protection of its coastal waters.
It extended its Preferential Access Area (PAA) from six to 12 nautical miles, granting exclusive fishing access to local, small-scale fishers while barring destructive vessels, namely trawlers, from coastal waters. Real-world evidence shows that well-enforced PAAs, where bottom trawling is prohibited, strengthen the resilience of small-scale fleets, accelerate fish stock recovery and protect coastal livelihoods. Meanwhile, despite its global leadership in fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and its repeated commitments to global ocean protection, the EU continues to allow industrial bottom trawlers near-unfettered access to coastal waters.
This comes at the direct expense of coastal communities and small-scale fishers who represent the vast majority of Europe’s fishing fleet. Recent research highlights how a small group of large commercial owners, acting through fishing industry associations, has opposed stronger seabed protection in Brussels by questioning the science and warning of socio-economic disruption. Yet real-world evidence shows that well-enforced PAAs, where bottom trawling is prohibited, strengthen the resilience of small-scale fleets, accelerate fish stock recovery and protect coastal livelihoods.
Ghana may not offer Europe a ready-made blueprint for preferential access, but the country’s experience demonstrates that governments can make significant policy changes when the voices of affected communities, evidence and objective political leadership come together. A decade on the frontlines — CaFGOAG’s story In Ghana, small-scale fisheries are not simply an occupation; they are the foundation of coastal communities. In contrast to destructive trawl fleets, they are among the most energy-efficient animal-sourced food production systems, with low environmental impacts and outsized economic and social value.
Yet fishers are experiencing declining catches, increasing costs and competition from industrial trawlers. Industrial fishing, such as bottom trawling, has been a major driver of this decline, particularly through the “saiko” fish trade, where trawlers harvest juvenile and small pelagic species and illegally transship them at sea into adapted canoes for onward sale at local markets. Our experience has demonstrated that political and economic complexity must never be an excuse for inaction.
The consequences extend beyond individual fishers: fish processors, traders and economies are devastated, with women feeling the impact most severely when landings crash. For the Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana (CaFGOAG), the fundamental issue is not simply competition between fishing methods, but whether marine resources are managed to protect the ecological foundations of life at sea and protect livelihoods for coastal communities. For over a decade, CaFGOAG has consistently called for stronger protection of Ghana’s inshore waters through an expanded PAA.
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