Gone fishing

Fishing in Ghana increased considerably in the late 1960s, from 105,100 tons of marine fish caught in 1967 to 230,100 tons in 1971. In 1982 the yield was 234,100 tons, composed of 199,100 tons of marine varieties and 35,000 tons of freshwater fish from Lake Volta. The industry was hit by fuel shortages, inadequate storage facilities, and the general economic difficulties of the 1970s and the 1980s. Nevertheless, by 1988 the fish catch was 302,900 tons; by 1991 it amounted to 289,675 tons, down from more than 319,000 tons in 1990. There are places for blue marlin fishing that seem to exist only in daydreams and conversations at the bar. Anglers tell stories of villages enclosed by palm tree hammocks, situated at the mouth of a river that empties into a remote section of the ocean. The allure is that these remote areas are actually real and could be home to the next world record blue marlin. For centuries Ghana’s people have fished offshore for snapper and small tuna. Yet, only in the past decade have the first lures been plunked in the water for blue marlin. From the time boats began venturing out for blue marlin, the rumors began to spread about the size of the fish caught. These were partially true because the initial forays had reaped large catches in short periods. A few well-known skippers brought boats from Madeira, and set up charter operations. They quickly put Ghana on the map as a major destination for large blue marlin. Today, many consider the waters off the coast of Ghana one of the prime places on the planet to catch large Atlantic blue marlin.