Abstract
The call to incorporate culture into fishing activities has received widespread acceptance. It therefore becomes unusual when an aspect of that culture is gradually being eroded through a violation of a custom in some fishing communities in Ghana. This paper sought to investigate the symbolic reconstructions about the oceans culminating into the violations of the custom and the undercurrents of the reconstructions focusing on coastal communities in the Central Region of Ghana. We sought to investigate these nuances by employing qualitative methods and analytical techniques soliciting information from fishermen, leaders of Asafo groups and Chief Fishermen. We argue that the violations of a custom are a result of political, religious, and economic conditions which produced life experiences with the ocean which changed people’s interpretations sanctity of that custom. We recommend that policy makers find out ways to ensure the heritage of non-fishing days is not fully eroded by using a more consultative means to identify days which are found to be suitable with empowered team to enforce this custom given its symbolic and livelihood significance.
This research was sponsored by the One Ocean Hub. The One Ocean Hub is a collaborative research for sustainable development project funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) (Grant Ref: NE/S008950/1). GCRF is a key component in delivering the UK AID strategy and puts UK-led research at the heart of efforts to tackle the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
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Ansah, J.W., Oduro, G.Y., Wilson, D. (2022). Narratives of Non-Compliance in “Tuesday Non-Fishing Day” in Ghana. In: Boswell, R., O’Kane, D., Hills, J. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Blue Heritage. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99347-4_19
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