Ghana tuna - pole & line

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Overview

The Ghana tuna pole & line FIP has been jointly established by key governments in the region, major tuna processors, producer organisations and their fishing vessels, with the support of WWF. This FIP is a multi-stakeholder effort, and its goal is to support improvement in the management of tuna fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean so that in the future, consumers can be assured that the pole and line tuna they purchase has been harvested sustainably. The ultimate aim is to meet the standards of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

Pole and line fishing is highly selective and the volume of tuna unfit to canneries is marginal. Tuna unfit for tuna canneries are sold to local markets, mostly through Tema and to some extent Abidjan.

The fleet catches mainly skipjack (2/3 of their total catch) and yellowfin tuna (currently around 1/3) as target species, in association with bigeye tuna. To catch tuna, the pole and line vessel vessels use drifting fish aggregating devices (DFADs) and small pelagic fish caught in Ghana waters as bait.

Target species: this FIP will consider the following three pelagic tuna species as the target species: skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus)

Fishing methods: This FIP will include the use of pole and line catching of individual tuna.

Fishing area: The fishing area is the Atlantic Ocean under the jurisdiction of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna.e.g. FAO Statistical Areas 34.

Fishing fleet: The fishing fleet currently numbers 17 vessels fishing for, or on behalf of, the FIP participants. The exact nature of the fleet will be clarified as the FIP partnership evolves, and will be assessed in detail during FIP action planning. However, it is recognised that the fishing fleet might change over time if the FIP partnership is enlarged or decreased.

FIP Description 

The Ghana tuna pole & line FIP has been jointly established by key governments in the region, major tuna processors, producer organisations and their fishing vessels, with the support of WWF.

FIP Objective(s) 
  • To form a collaboration between governments, industry and fleets to bring about improvements in the fishery.
  • To address the shortfalls in the stock health, ecosystem health and management of the fishery by meeting actions described by the Improvement Performance Goals (IPGs).
  • To improve the fishery to a point at which it can undergo full assessment by the MSC by the end of December 2025.
FIP Type 
Comprehensive
FIP Stage 
Stage 4: Improvements in Fishing Practices or Fishery Management
Start and Projected End Dates
November 2018
December 2025
Update 
The end date of the FIP has been extended to allow the FIP further time to undergo full assessment by the MSC.
Next Progress Report Due 
Monday, March 31, 2025
Species 
Common Name 
Skipjack Tuna
Scientific Name
Katsuwonus pelamis
Buying Guide Link Image 
Skipjack Tuna
Buying Guide
Common Name 
Bigeye Tuna
Scientific Name
Thunnus obesus
Buying Guide Link Image 
Bigeye Tuna
Buying Guide
Common Name 
Yellowfin Tuna
Scientific Name
Thunnus albacares
Buying Guide Link Image 
Yellowfin Tuna
Buying Guide
Gear Type 
Pole
Location
FAO Major Fishing Area
Area 34 (Atlantic, Eastern Central)
Exclusive Economic Zones
Country 
Ghana
Geographic Scope 
Entire country
Country 
Côte d'Ivoire
Geographic Scope 
Entire country
Country 
Benin
Geographic Scope 
Entire country
Country 
Togo
Geographic Scope 
Entire country
Country Flag of Vessel 
Ghana
Regional Fisheries Management Organization
ICCAT
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
13,023 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
13,173 metric tons
Landings Date 
December 2019
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FIP at a Glance

View current status
November 01, 2018
29% 61% 11%
Progress Rating (A) Advanced Progress

Reserved for comprehensive FIPs that have achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within the past 12 months.

(B) Good Progress

A basic FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within 12 months.

(C) Some Recent Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months that has never achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result but has reported a Stage 3 activity within the first 12 months.
(D) Some Past Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months BUT has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old AND a Stage 3 activity has been reported within six months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
(E) Negligible Progress
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old, with no Stage 3 activity reported in the last six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months with no Stage 3 activity reported within 12 months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.

The ratings are currently derived by SFP from publicly available data on FIP websites, including FisheryProgress.org, and are determined using the following methodology: View PDF
A Advanced Progress
Actions Complete

This pie chart represents completed environmental actions. Non-completed environmental actions may contain completed sub-tasks that are not illustrated here. For more information on environmental action progress visit the Actions Progress tab.
  • Complete
  • Incomplete
Next Update Due FisheryProgress requires a FIP to provide update reports every six months, and two missed reports will render the FIP inactive. If a report is overdue, this date will appear red.
Mar 2025
Target End Date
Dec 2025

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
Thai Union
Organization Type 
Industry
Primary Contact 
Francisco Leotte
Email 
Francisco.Leotte@thaiunion.com
Website Name 
Thai Union
Organization Name 
Key Traceability
Organization Type 
Consultant
Primary Contact 
Becky Caton
Email 
b.caton@keytraceability.com
Website Name 
Key Traceability
FIP Identification Number The FIP Identification Number is automatically generated by FisheryProgress when a FIP profile is created. While the number itself is not meaningful, they are used by NGOs, academia, and industry to refer to FIPs in a consistent way.
9870