Whaling

• Average fish catches by traditional fishing communities along the west African coast have declined significantly over the past three decades.
• They have done this for generations, but since the 1990s, a decline in the catch has put their livelihoods at risk.
• In Ghana, total landings of small pelagic fish fell by 59% between 1993 and 2019, despite increased fishing efforts.
• The continuing decline in fish catches has serious implications for some of the poorest families in the region.

Climate

• Among the multiple threats from climate change, ocean warming is probably the least appreciated.
• This helps contain warming on land in the short run, but in the long run it brings a cascade of larger climate threats.
• The models are widely used to forecast range shifts of organisms due to climate change and predict the eventual ranges of invasive species, among others.
• It projected that climate change alone would reduce maximum catch potential in the Guinea Current System by 30% or more by 2050, even if the fisheries were well managed.

Chinese trawlers

• However, Chinese trawlers get around this barrier by using local companies as legal “fronts”.
• Chinese companies, thinly disguised as Ghanaian companies, currently own over 90% of Ghana’s licensed bottom trawlers.
• Chinese trawlers are occasionally fined for illegal practices in Ghana, but some fail to pay the fines and still do not lose their licence.

Too many canoes

• In west Africa there are now seven times as many canoes engaged in ocean fishing as there were in 1950.
• Today’s canoes have larger nets and bigger crews, and many have powerful outboard engines.
• Despite the recent fish catch decline, canoe numbers have continued to increase; in Ghana there were 8,000 canoes in 1990, but by 2017 there were 13,650.

New livelihoods

• This won’t be easy since roughly 40% of coastal fishermen in Ghana and Nigeria have no formal education.
• One policy measure to keep them in school would be to provide monthly cash transfers conditioned on school enrolment and attendance.
• For fishing communities threatened by falling fish stocks, this might be a path to future livelihood protection.

Robert Paarlberg receives research funding from the Salata Institute at Harvard University.

• OTTAWA, March 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadian Museum of Nature botanists have completed a comprehensive study of the floristic diversity of Agguttinni Territorial Park, Nunavut’s newest and largest Territorial Park.
• Agguttinni Territorial Park encompasses over 16,000 square kilometres of towering mountains, long fiords, lush valleys, and massive ice caps, and is a protected area on northern Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada.
• This park, and all of Nunavut, is Inuit Nunangat – Inuit homeland in Canada – and the park protects sites and biodiversity stewarded by Inuit since time immemorial.
• The park includes important bird areas, key habitats for polar bears and caribou, and numerous important Inuit cultural sites.

• In support of this commitment, today the Nation Micmac de Gespeg and the Government of Canada are announcing the signing of the Rights and Reconciliation Agreement with respect to Forillon National Park.
• The Government of Canada officially recognized the Nation Micmac de Gespeg in 1973, even though they have occupied their territory since time immemorial.
• On January 30, 2024, the Nation Micmac de Gespeg, Parks Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada signed the Rights and Reconciliation Agreement with respect to Forillon National Park.
• While the Agreement represents a step toward reconciliation, Parks Canada and the Nation Micmac de Gespeg are aware that this is a first step on the road to reconciliation.

• NEW YORK, March 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Whale and Vessel Safety Task Force is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Viam , the software platform for smart machines, aimed at accelerating the establishment of an open data collection program crucial for North Atlantic Right Whale conservation efforts.
• One of the world's most endangered large whale species, the North Atlantic Right Whale faces numerous threats, including the risk of vessel strikes.
• "This partnership with Viam marks a significant step forward in our conservation efforts for the North Atlantic Right Whale," said John DePersenaire, chair of the Whale and Vessel Safety Task Force.
• This is a disruptive approach much needed to spur innovation and further protections for the North Atlantic Right Whale and other marine mammals.