UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) Creating space for fishermen’s livelihoods : Anlo-Ewe beach seine fishermen’s negotiations for livelihood space within multiple governance structures in Ghana Kraan, M.L. Publication date 2009 Document Version Final published version Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Kraan, M. L. (2009). Creating space for fishermen’s livelihoods : Anlo-Ewe beach seine fishermen’s negotiations for livelihood space within multiple governance structures in Ghana. African Studies Centre. General rights It is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Disclaimer/Complaints regulations If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: https://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (https://dare.uva.nl) Download date:04 Oct 2021 Marloes Kraan African Studies Collection 19 Creating space for fishermen’s livelihoods space for Creating Creating space for This PhD thesis provides a detailed empirical description and analysis of the Anlo-Ewe beach seine fishery in fishermen’s livelihoods Ghana. The Anlo-Ewe fishermen operate in a context of declining catches affecting their livelihoods. The study shows how the Anlo-Ewe beach seine fishermen actively negotiate livelihood space in a context of multiple governance structures - including state and non-state Anlo-Ewe beach seine fishermen’s authorities and agencies - and migration. Marloes Kraan studied cultural anthropology at the negotiations for livelihood space Free University, Amsterdam, followed by a PhD at the Amsterdam Institute for Metropolitan and International Development Studies (AMIDSt) of the University of within multiple governance Amsterdam. structures in Ghana Marloes Kraan www.ascleiden.nl 19 African Studies Centre Creating space for fishermen’s livelihoods Anlo-Ewe beach seine fishermen’s negotiations for livelihood space within multiple governance structures in Ghana ACADEMISCH PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam op gezag van de Rector Magnificus prof. dr. D.C. van den Boom ten overstaan van het college voor promoties ingestelde commissie, in het openbaar te verdedigen in de Aula der Universiteit op woensdag 9 september 2009 om 12.00 uur door Marianne Louise Kraan geboren te Ooststellingwerf Promotiecommissie Promotor: Prof. dr. A.J. Dietz Prof. dr. L. Visser Co-promotor: Dr. J.M. Bavinck Overige leden: Prof. dr. I.S.A. Baud Prof. dr. S. Jentoft Prof. dr. G.K. Nukunya Prof. dr. J.D.M. Van der Geest Prof. dr. J. Verrips Faculteit der Maatschappij en Gedragswetenschappen African Studies Centre African Studies Collection, vol. 19 Creating space for fishermen’s livelihoods Anlo-Ewe beach seine fishermen’s negotiations for livelihood space within multiple governance structures in Ghana Marloes Kraan Published by: African Studies Centre P.O. Box 9555 2300 RB Leiden The Netherlands [email protected] http://www.ascleiden.nl Cover design: Heike Slingerland Photographs: Marloes Kraan Printed by PrintPartners Ipskamp BV, Enschede ISSN: 1876-018X ISBN: 978-90-5448-089-1 © Marloes Kraan, 2009 Knowledge is like a baobab tree; no one can encompass it with their hands Ghanaian proverb Contents List of tables ix List of figures x Abbreviations xiii Acknowledgements xv 1 Introduction 1 Introduction 1 Theoretical debates 5 Fisheries in Ghana 12 Research questions and conceptual framework 24 The structure of the book 34 2 Methods of data collection 35 Introduction 35 Research periods 37 Beach seine fishing 37 Research locations 38 Units of analysis 42 Research methods 44 Being young, white and female 53 Research assistants 56 Methods of analysis 58 3 Livelihood space, fishing assets and access 59 Introduction 59 Sustainable livelihoods approach 60 Livelihood space of the Anlo-Ewe beach seine fishermen 66 The three cases 75 Assets and access of fisher households 85 Fishing assets and access 105 Conclusion 116 4 The fishing activity and vulnerability 120 Introduction 120 The fishing activity 120 Catches, returns and sharing 126 More than income 136 Vulnerability 143 ‘Alternative’ livelihoods and why it is not a success 151 Conclusion 154 vii 5 Migration 157 Introduction 157 Previous research on fisher migration 160 Fisher migration as translocal networks 165 Conclusion 173 6 Ghana’s multiple governing structure 175 Introduction 175 Governance 175 Multiple governance structures in Ghana 178 Implications of migration 191 Fisheries governance and management 191 Case in Keta District 197 Conclusion 200 7 The institutions of local fisheries management 201 Introduction 201 Local fisheries management 204 Management and migration 235 Assessing the management objectives of the fishermen and of the government 238 Conclusions 240 8 Anlo-Ewe fishermen’s negotiations within multiple governance settings 243 Introduction 243 Multiple-meaning of Muni lagoon; conflict over the resource 245 The shooting incident unravelled 252 Keta Sea Defence Project 266 Conclusion 278 9 Summary and conclusions 280 Reviewing the argument 280 Negotiating livelihood space 295 Challenges for governance 298 Appendix 1: Overview of the gears used 301 Appendix 2: Research questions, questionnaires and household survey 303 Appendix 3: Request of Effutu Traditional Council (1998) and proof of payment 309 Appendix 4: Keta District CBFMC Bylaws 310 Appendix 5: DVD inside backcover References 313 Samenvatting (Summary in Dutch) 325 About the author 336 viii List of tables 1.1 Relevant characteristics of Ghana’s coastal regions 13 1.2 Number of marine fishing vessels in Ghana 16 2.1 Main features of the research locations 40 2.2 Interviews subdivided in categories 48 2.3 Data overview of company records. 52 2.4 Data overview of fieldwork 53 2.5 Research Assistants, years and research locations 56 3.1 Woe: marital status 87 3.2 Woe:educational level 88 3.3 Woe: age and having a job 89 3.4 Woe: jobs per sexes 89 3.5 If no water is available on the compound, where do you get your water from? 90 3.6 Woe: fish processing techniques used 90 3.7 Woe: ovens used 91 3.8 Akosua Village: marital status 92 3.9 Akosua Village: educational level 93 3.10 Akosua Village age and having a job 93 3.11 Akosua Village: jobs by sex 94 3.12 Akosua Village: how many smoking ovens does this household have? 96 3.13 Half Assini: age group by sex 97 3.14 Half Assini: marital status 97 3.15 Half Assini: educational level 99 3.16 Half Assini: age and having a job 99 3.17 Half Assini: jobs by sex 100 3.18 Half Assini: types of fish processing 101 3.19 Percentage of age groups by research location 102 3.20 Percentages of age groups 11-20 and 21-30 with a job, by research location 102 3.21 Line of work of the working population of the research population (%) 103 3.22 Motorisation in Ghanaian artisanal fisheries 114 4.1 Comparing the three example companies, operating in 2004-2005 127 4.2 An example of a day’s sharing of the catch by the sample company in Akosua Village 132 4.3 Average catch value per fishing day of the example company of Half Assini 134 4.4 Perception own future – net owners; based on questionnaire 2005 141 4.5 Perception own future – crew; based on questionnaire 2005 141 4.6 The three elements of the vulnerability context as set out in the Livelihoods Approach 144 4.7 The Impact of algal bloom on size of fish catch, by occupation 148 5.1 Synthesis of usual categorisations of fishing migrations in West Africa 160 5.2 Synthesis of explanatory factors stimulating fisher migration 161 7.1 Day to day accounting of a processor in Akosua Village 207 7.2 Fishing related cases reported at Keta police station 215 7.3 Local managing activities of fishermen and government 238 8.1 Overview of projects and proposals to counter the sea erosion at Keta in the 20th century 271 ix List of figures 1.1 Map of Ghana xx 1.2 Smoking fish in Half Assini 2 1.3 Management and governance 5 1.4 Map of the coast of Ghana 13 1.5 & 1.6 The beach seine (yevudor) 15 1.7 Ghanaian marine fisheries landings in Ghanaian waters 1972-2000 16 1.8 (Semi-)industrial vessels in Tema 17 1.9 The share of the artisanal catches per month in 2004, according to gear 20 1.10 The spread of the total artisanal catch (in weight) in 2004, by gear 21 1.11 The share of the total artisanal catch (in value) in 2004, by gear 21 1.12 The effort (total days) of all beach seine gears in 2004 per month, in Ghana 21 1.13 Catch per unit effort of artisanal catches in 2004 per gear in Ghana 22 1.14 Artisanal catches in Ghana (in tonnes) per gear, by year 22 1.15 Artisanal catches in Ghana (in tonnes) per year, by gear 23 1.16 Little fish caught in a beach seine 23 1.17 Conceptual framework 25 2.1 The chief of Woe 36 2.2 Map of Ghana’s coast indicating the three research locations 38 2.3 Women in Woe dressed in the home-coming cloth 39 2.4 The different units of analysis, from individual to group level 43 2.5 Watching back video footage