Warming seas and illegal trawlers threaten West Africa’s fishing future, study warns

Warming seas and illegal trawlers threaten West Africa’s fishing future, study warns

A new paper paints a grim picture for the future of fishing communities in the Gulf of Guinea along coastal West Africa. Faced with increasing ocean warming and declining fish stocks, fishing communities in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria struggle to survive. The paper’s authors advocate for income diversification among fishing communities as a critical adaptation strategy. The catch of small pelagic fish in Ghana declined by 59% between 1993 a…