E-ISSN 2676-2862 | ISSN 2676-2854
 

Original Article 


The status of Macrobrachium fishery and its market in southern Ghana

Prince Ofori-Darkwah, Daniel Adjei-Boateng, Regina Esi Edziyie.

Abstract
Ghanaian fisheries is dominated by the marine sector which contributes 60-65% of total fish catch while the inland sector supplies 30-35%. Although finfishes are the main species captured in the inland sector, freshwater prawns of the genus Macrobrachium are exploited on artisanal basis at the Volta River estuary. An exploratory study was conducted in the South Tongu District, Volta Region in Ghana, to ascertain the status of the prawn fishery: identify the species harvested, harvesting methods, catch statistics as well as the marketing chain. Data on the species harvested and catch statistics were based on artisanal fishersÂ’ landings and field observations. Additionally, interviews were conducted with prawn fishers, processors and retailers to elicit information on the marketing chain of harvested prawns. Five species of prawns were identified: <i>Macrobrachium vollenhovenii</i>, <i>Macrobrachium dux</i>, <i>Macrobrachium macrobrachion</i>, <i>Macrobrachium lar</i> and <i>Atya gabonensis</i> with the first three being the most abundant. The prawns were harvested with baited basket traps conveyed in canoes to areas in the river where prawns are known to occur. The total annual catch estimated from the output of the 23 fishers was 6,230.4 kg over 236 fishing days year-1. Mean catch per fisher was 2.4 kg day-1 which was similar in the three fishing communities. Agave-Afedome however, had more fishers and contributed 80% of the total catch. Frying and roasting were the common processing methods used. All actors in the chain (fishers, processors and retailers) complained of low and inadequate supply of prawns and advocated the development of a sustainable fishery in this area.

Key words: Key words: Macrobrachium fishery, Basket traps, Marketing, Processing, Volta River


 
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How to Cite this Article
Pubmed Style

Ofori-Darkwah P, Adjei-Boateng D, Edziyie RE. The status of Macrobrachium fishery and its market in southern Ghana. J. Fish. Coast. Mgt. 2020; 2(1): 65-74. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20200228050049


Web Style

Ofori-Darkwah P, Adjei-Boateng D, Edziyie RE. The status of Macrobrachium fishery and its market in southern Ghana. https://www.jfcomonline.com/?mno=89026 [Access: October 14, 2023]. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20200228050049


AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Ofori-Darkwah P, Adjei-Boateng D, Edziyie RE. The status of Macrobrachium fishery and its market in southern Ghana. J. Fish. Coast. Mgt. 2020; 2(1): 65-74. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20200228050049



Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Ofori-Darkwah P, Adjei-Boateng D, Edziyie RE. The status of Macrobrachium fishery and its market in southern Ghana. J. Fish. Coast. Mgt. (2020), [cited October 14, 2023]; 2(1): 65-74. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20200228050049



Harvard Style

Ofori-Darkwah, P., Adjei-Boateng, . D. & Edziyie, . R. E. (2020) The status of Macrobrachium fishery and its market in southern Ghana. J. Fish. Coast. Mgt, 2 (1), 65-74. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20200228050049



Turabian Style

Ofori-Darkwah, Prince, Daniel Adjei-Boateng, and Regina Esi Edziyie. 2020. The status of Macrobrachium fishery and its market in southern Ghana. Journal of Fisheries and Coastal Management, 2 (1), 65-74. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20200228050049



Chicago Style

Ofori-Darkwah, Prince, Daniel Adjei-Boateng, and Regina Esi Edziyie. "The status of Macrobrachium fishery and its market in southern Ghana." Journal of Fisheries and Coastal Management 2 (2020), 65-74. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20200228050049



MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Ofori-Darkwah, Prince, Daniel Adjei-Boateng, and Regina Esi Edziyie. "The status of Macrobrachium fishery and its market in southern Ghana." Journal of Fisheries and Coastal Management 2.1 (2020), 65-74. Print. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20200228050049



APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Ofori-Darkwah, P., Adjei-Boateng, . D. & Edziyie, . R. E. (2020) The status of Macrobrachium fishery and its market in southern Ghana. Journal of Fisheries and Coastal Management, 2 (1), 65-74. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20200228050049