Version 1
: Received: 9 September 2024 / Approved: 9 September 2024 / Online: 10 September 2024 (10:00:05 CEST)
How to cite:
Banini, P. K.; Anyan, K. F.; Zornu, J.; Ackah, M.; Batsa, D. N.; Issifu, K.; Amankwah, A.; Ali, S. E.; Addo, S.; Cudjoe, K. S. Rethinking Freshwater Cage Aquaculture: The Case of Ghana. Preprints2024, 2024090717. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0717.v1
Banini, P. K.; Anyan, K. F.; Zornu, J.; Ackah, M.; Batsa, D. N.; Issifu, K.; Amankwah, A.; Ali, S. E.; Addo, S.; Cudjoe, K. S. Rethinking Freshwater Cage Aquaculture: The Case of Ghana. Preprints 2024, 2024090717. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0717.v1
Banini, P. K.; Anyan, K. F.; Zornu, J.; Ackah, M.; Batsa, D. N.; Issifu, K.; Amankwah, A.; Ali, S. E.; Addo, S.; Cudjoe, K. S. Rethinking Freshwater Cage Aquaculture: The Case of Ghana. Preprints2024, 2024090717. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0717.v1
APA Style
Banini, P. K., Anyan, K. F., Zornu, J., Ackah, M., Batsa, D. N., Issifu, K., Amankwah, A., Ali, S. E., Addo, S., & Cudjoe, K. S. (2024). Rethinking Freshwater Cage Aquaculture: The Case of Ghana. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0717.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Banini, P. K., Samuel Addo and Kofitsyo S. Cudjoe. 2024 "Rethinking Freshwater Cage Aquaculture: The Case of Ghana" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0717.v1
Abstract
Lakes across the globe, including the Volta Lake in Ghana, face insidious threats from pollutants driven by high dependency on aquatic ecosystems. Cage aquaculture is expanding in Africa due to its potential to address food insecurity, provide livelihoods, and contribute to local economies. However, the uncontrolled expansion of cage aquaculture can have significant negative impacts on water resources, including environmental footprints that threaten biodiversity. Considering the intensification of cage aquaculture on the Volta Lake, we argue for a shift to sustainable alternative aquaculture systems. Deepening stakeholder collaborations are needed to enhance competence in mapping inland aquaculture areas, identifying eco-friendly alternatives, and strengthening aquaculture regulations and their enforcement in general and cage culture in particular on Lake Volta. This approach would promote best management practices. While competence building must be a continuous process to address knowledge gaps, the establishment of workable preparedness plans is needed in the event of emergencies. As the Lake is a hotspot for certain fish pathogens, implementing these strategies can reduce disease risks and subsequently decrease the development of resistance associated with excessive antimicrobial use in farmed fish.
Keywords
Lake Volta; cage aquaculture; mapping inland areas; law enforcement; best management practices; collaboration and capacity building; emergency preparedness
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Aquatic Science
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
