Ghana

Section 67 - Prohibition of fishing in inland waters without a licence. Section 72 - Prohibition of fishing in coastal waters without a licence. [Section headings as printed in the official Act 1146; the Act requires a licence to fish in Ghana's inland and coastal fishery waters and provides no recreational/sport-fishing exemption from licensing. The full operative wording of the general licence prohibition is set out in the separate Section 56 entry. Section headings confirmed by OCR of the official Act 1146 PDF.]

88. (1) A person shall not (a) permit to be used, use or attempt to use any explosive, poison or other noxious substance for the purpose of killing, stunning, disabling or catching fish, or in any way rendering fish more easily caught; or (b) carry on board or have in his or her possession or control without lawful authority at any place within a two kilometre radius from any shore or river, any explosive, poison or other noxious substance in circumstances indicating an intention of using such substance for any of the purposes referred to in paragraph (a). (2) Any explosive, poison or other noxious substance found on board a fishing vessel shall be presumed, unless the contrary is proved, to be intended for the purposes referred to in subsection (1)(a). [Section 88 of Act 625 is titled 'Prohibited fishing methods'; a hand spear, speargun or harpoon is NOT among the methods listed here. Verbatim text obtained by OCR of the official Fisheries Act 2002 (Act 625) PDF published by Ghana's Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture.]

Prohibited fishing methods. 11. (1) A person shall not within the fishery waters of this country (a) use any fishing method that aggregates fish by light attraction including use of portable generator, switchboard, bulbs beyond 500 watts or bulbs whose cumulative light intensity attracts fish and long cable to facilitate light production or any other contrivance for the purpose of aggregating fish by light; (b) use bamboo for the purpose of aggregating fish; (c) use explosives, obnoxious chemicals and any other prohibited fishing methods which render fish more easily caught; or (d) operate pair-trawling. (2) A person shall not operate any fishing activity within the areas designated as oil and gas exploration installations... (3) A person who contravenes sub-regulation (1) or (2) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to the fine specified in section 88(3) of the Act. [A spear, speargun or harpoon is NOT among the prohibited methods. Verbatim text obtained by OCR of the official FAOLEX PDF of L.I. 1968.]

Licence for aquaculture and recreational fishing. 60. (1) An application for a licence for an aquaculture project or recreational fishing shall be made to the Commission and shall be accompanied with an environmental impact assessment. (2) The application shall be in such form as determined by the Commission and shall be accompanied with such fee as the Commission shall determine. ... (8) Recreational fishing shall be carried on in accordance with such requirements as may be prescribed by Regulations. ['recreational fishing' is defined in the interpretation section of Act 625 as 'any fishing done for leisure and not for the purpose of subsistence, barter or sale of fish'; recreational spearfishing would fall within this category, so a recreational-fishing licence from the Fisheries Commission applies. Verbatim text obtained by OCR of the official Act 625 PDF published by Ghana's Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture.]

Prohibition of fishing or fishing-related activities without a fishing licence. 56. (1) A person shall not use a Ghanaian fishing vessel, a bare-boat or a canoe for fishing or fishing-related activities in the fishery waters of the Republic unless that person is (a) registered with the Commission as an owner or a charterer of a fishing vessel; and (b) issued with a fishing licence for that purpose under this Act. (2) A person shall not fish or attempt to fish within the fishery waters of the Republic using a foreign fishing vessel or a chartered foreign fishing vessel unless that person (a) has a fishing licence or authorisation issued in accordance with this Act; (b) is authorised under an access agreement... ['recreational fishing' is separately defined in Act 1146 as 'fishing which is undertaken for leisure and not for the purpose of subsistence, barter or sale of fish'. Verbatim text obtained by OCR of the official Act 1146 PDF.]

Marine fisheries reserve. 39. (1) The Minister shall, on the advice of the Commission and after consultation with relevant organisations, agencies, owners of the adjoining land, the relevant District Assembly and other stakeholders, declare by notification in the Gazette, an area of the fishery waters and the seabed underlying the waters to be a marine fisheries reserve. (2) The advice under subsection (1) shall be based on a scientific assessment. (3) A person shall not, except with the written permission of the Minister, (a) engage in fishing, (b) dredge or take sand or gravel, or (c) otherwise disturb the natural habitat within a marine fisheries reserve. [This is the provision under which Ghana declared its first marine protected area, the Greater Cape Three Points reserve, on 14 April 2026 — all fishing inside is prohibited without the Minister's written permission. Verbatim text obtained by OCR of the official Act 1146 PDF.]

Closed season. 47. (1) The Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, based on verifiable scientific information, declare a closed season, including the duration of the closed season, for fishing in specified areas of the marine waters, inland waters or the riverine system. (2) A declaration under subsection (1) shall be (a) made at least three months in advance of the closed season, (b) given reasonable publicity, and (c) published in a newspaper of nationwide circulation. ... (4) A person who engages in fishing during a closed season declared in accordance with this section commits an offence... (5) The Minister may, in furtherance of subsection (1), impose a ban on fishing activities for a specific number of days, specific fishery waters and specific water bodies as the Minister may determine. [Verbatim text obtained by OCR of the official Act 1146 PDF.]

45. (1) A person shall not fish for endangered, threatened or protected species in the fishery waters of the Republic unless with written authorisation from the Commission, in consultation with the Water Resources Commission and the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission. ... (3) An endangered, threatened or protected species caught accidentally shall be released immediately and returned to the waters from which the endangered, threatened or protected species was taken with the least possible injury. [Verbatim text obtained by OCR of the official Act 1146 PDF.]

MINIMUM LANDING SIZES OF COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT FISH SPECIES (Regulation 14(1)): Spiny Lobster (Panulirus regius) 12 cm CL; Red Pandora (Pagellus bellotti) 14 cm; Canary dentex (Dentex canariensis) 22 cm; Blue spotted seabream (Sparus caeruleostictus) 18 cm; Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) 14 cm ML; Red snappers (Lutjanus fulgens/goreensis) 16 cm; Cassava fish (Pseudotolithus senegalensis) 18 cm; Grouper (Epinephelus aeneus) 42 cm; Barracudas (Sphyraena spp) 30 cm; Round sardine (Sardinella aurita) 18 cm; Flat sardine (Sardinella maderensis) 18 cm; Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) 55 cm; Yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) 55 cm. (CL = carapace length, ML = mantle length, fish species measured in fork length.) Any violation of the minimum size limits shall be liable to confiscation of the said catch and or fines as directed by the licencing officer. [These minimum landing sizes apply to anyone landing these species, including a spearfisher. List abbreviated from the full Schedule; verbatim text obtained by OCR of the official FAOLEX PDF of L.I. 1968.]

9. (1) A person shall not use beach seine net in estuaries and areas to be designated as marine protected areas by the Commission. ... 16. (1) A person shall not use a shrimp net for fishing without a turtle excluder device. (2) A turtle accidentally caught in the net shall be released immediately into the sea. ... 17. (1) A person shall not fish for marine or freshwater mammals in the fishery waters of the country without prior written approval from the Commission. [Verbatim text obtained by OCR of the official FAOLEX PDF of L.I. 1968.]