SECTOR CAPABILITIES - Tuna From Ghana

Tuna, a major industry in Ghana

The tuna fishery is one of the most important fisheries sectors of Ghana. There are about thirty registered tuna vessels in Ghana operating with average annual tuna production of about 74,000 tons. The tuna fishing vessels catch lots of varieties, including pelagic and migratory species. Most tuna vessels are operated on joint-venture basis, with Ghanaian owners having at least 50% of the shares, as required by the Fisheries Act 625 of 2002.Ghana is a major exporter of fish and one of the countries in the West African sub-region that structurally exports fish and fishery products to the European Union (EU).

Upgraded standards and new codes of practices for fisheries in Ghana

As part of an ongoing upgrade of the country’s Quality Infrastructure, one existing fisheries standard has been reviewed and two Codes of Practice have been developed. They were submitted for gazetting and publishing since April 2017. They include:

• GS 236 Fish and Fishery Products- Quality Control Systems
• GS 929 Code of Hygienic Practice for the fish Industry
• GS 1131 Code of practice for reduction of Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) in foods

Importing Ghanaian tuna gives you numerous benefits:

• Tuna products from Ghana are endorsed and approved by the EU
• Tuna products are well preserved under hygienic conditions which increases food security
• Fish health, post-harvest activities and safety are all regulated, monitored, controlled and evaluated by the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development to assure high quality products
• Large range of varieties, such as
  • Yellow fin tuna (Thunnusalbacares)
  • Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonuspelamis)
  • Bigeye tuna (Thunnusobesus)