Tragic toll of fishermens' lives "just part of life"

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The fishermen's flags of liberty

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CAPE COAST, GHANA: Their dugout canoes haven't changed in centuries, and neither has the tragic toll of Ghanaian fishermen lost at sea every year.

"If God wills we die, we die," Benjamin Atta told NowPublic in the ancient coastal village of Cape Coast, on Africa's wild west coast.

Every year at least 15 drown in the unpredictable waters of the Gulf of Guinea. "Sometimes it is more," said Mr. Atta, who has been fishing for 30 years.

In a survey of 50 of their ancient craft, not one had a life jacket, flares, or any signalling device, save for the multicolor flags they fly off spindly masts.

"If we get into trouble, there is no one to help," he said. Some of the fishermen have lately been able to purchase cellular phones but given that they travel far offshore by rowing, it is unlikely that help could arrive in time to save anyone.

Especially because the rescuers would also have to row out.

And yet, despite their risky livelihood, no one complained. The fishing has been good this season, which runs from July to September. And judging from the throngs crowding the fishermens' beach just below the old slaving fort, the catches have been good.

Nevertheless, life is extraordinarily difficult in this fishing port. Most of the fishermen dream of getting outboard motors, which would mean they could travel farther out to sea in pursuit of bigger fish. A 25 hp outboard costs about 27 million cedis (about US$3000). Given that the per capital income of Ghana is about US$2300, a motor is a distant dream for fishermen who make a fraction of that.

And there are signs that despite the good catches when NP visited Cape Coast, other evidence suggests the fish stocks are in decline. Research conducted with the assistance of the Norwegian government points to the use of new monofiliament nets that indiscriminately catch immature tilapia and other species, which reduce the survivability of the remaining stocks.

But Benjamin Atta, 47, remained philosophical. He grew up fishing with his father, and his two sons are fishing with him. "God has blessed us with good catches this year," he said. "What more can we ask for?"

Mark Schneider is the Managing Editor of NowPublic.com, and is currently in Ghana training journalists in Africa, in collaboration with Journalists for Human Rights