Ghana's Living Fossils at Risk: The Guitarfish Crisis

Four guitarfish species—common, white-spotted, blackchin, spineback—are critically endangered in Ghana’s shallow waters. Their growth and low fecundity make them vulnerable to overfishing, while fins fetch hundreds of dollars per kilogram in Asian markets, sustaining a legal but poorly monitored trade that threatens extinction.

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Artisanal fishers once relied on sardinella, anchovies and mackerel. Over two decades, trawlers—90 % Chinese-owned, according to Environmental Justice Foundation—have entered Ghanaian waters, using nets that capture juveniles and outcompete boats. A 2025 law pushes trawlers farther offshore, but enforcement is uncertain. “Saiko” practice moves fish to smaller vessels at night, depleting stocks and prompting fishers to target guitarfish, with dynamite.

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Initially, many fishers resisted restrictions, fearing loss of income and viewing conservation as a threat. Some resorted to destructive methods, including dynamite and chemical fishing, to maintain catches.

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Marine biologist Dr. Issah Seidu, founder of AquaLife, spent documenting Ghana’s sharks and rays. His work secured CITES Appendix II protection for guitarfish and backs a push for Appendix I, which would ban exploitation. The “fisher-biologist model” trains fishers in release techniques, GPS mapping, and livelihoods such as soap-making and snail farming, turning catchers into conservation partners.

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The rhino-ray group includes 68 species, ~75 % threatened. All four Ghanaian guitarfish are endangered. Fin trade kills 100 million sharks and rays annually, keeping fin prices high. 200 fishers have stopped catching guitarfish and two communities now ban dynamite, poisoning and undersized nets. As predators, guitarfish link prey and apex sharks; their loss destabilizes food webs and threatens nutrition. Because their fins are indistinguishable from shark fins, trade is traced only through DNA testing.

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Guitarfish trade is legal under CITES Appendix II, requiring export permits. Ghana’s 2025 law aims to restrict trawling, but enforcement is uncertain. High fin prices and unmonitored sales expose gaps between regulation and practice; catch data for guitarfish remain missing. The Whitley Fund for Nature called Seidu’s approach ambitious and thoughtful.

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AquaLife’s outreach has trained hundreds of fishers in DNA fin sampling, safe release, and trades like soap-making and snail farming. Two villages now prohibit dynamite, poisoning and undersized nets, and report higher earnings, showing a viable model that aligns conservation with livelihoods.

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• “These species are silently going extinct without anybody knowing them,” — Dr. Issah Seidu, marine biologist

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• “If you go to the fin market you have a price tag for each of these species,” — Dr. Issah Seidu

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• “If you want to convince them, you cannot tell them to stop catching these fish without giving them an alternative,” — Dr. Issah Seidu

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• “ambitious and thoughtful approach to addressing the interconnected challenges of biodiversity loss and food security.” — Danni Parks, director, Whitley Fund for Nature (email to CNN)

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Seidu will present his model at the Sharks International conference in Sri Lanka, seeking funding and partnerships across Brazil, India and Kenya. Scaling community-run marine protected areas and advancing guitarfish to CITES Appendix I remain central goals for safeguarding Ghana’s living fossils.

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