Campaign for the Establishment of a Ghana Marine Mammal Strandings Taskforce

Every Stranding Tells a Story. Ghana Must Be Ready to Listen.

Each year, whales, dolphins and manatees wash ashore along Ghana’s coastline. These strandings are not merely unfortunate events, they are critical indicators of the health of our marine environment. Every stranded animal has the potential to reveal valuable information about pollution, fisheries interactions, climate change, disease, ship strikes and other threats affecting Ghana’s oceans.

Unfortunately, Ghana currently lacks a coordinated national response. In many cases, stranded marine mammals are left to coastal communities to bury, dispose of, or perform traditional rites without any scientific investigation. As a result, opportunities to determine the cause of death, collect biological samples, conduct necropsies, document threats, and gather evidence for conservation or law enforcement are permanently lost. Valuable scientific information that could guide fisheries management, marine spatial planning and environmental policy disappears with every uninvestigated stranding.

We therefore call for the establishment of a Ghana Marine Mammal Strandings Taskforce to serve as the country’s national coordinating body for responding to, investigating and documenting marine mammal strandings.

The Taskforce should:

• Coordinate rapid national responses to marine mammal strandings.
• Rescue and rehabilitate live stranded animals where possible.
• Conduct necropsies and scientific investigations to determine causes of death.
• Collect biological, genetic and environmental samples for research.
• Maintain a national marine mammal strandings database.
• Monitor emerging threats such as bycatch, marine pollution, ship strikes, underwater noise and disease outbreaks.
• Investigate fisheries-related mortality and recommend measures to reduce bycatch and entanglement.
• Train responders and establish volunteer stranding networks in coastal communities.
• Develop national response protocols and standard operating procedures.
• Lead public education and awareness campaigns on marine mammal conservation.
• Advise Government on marine conservation policies, marine spatial planning and fisheries management.
• Publish annual reports, scientific findings and national stranding statistics to support evidence-based decision-making.

The Taskforce should be a multi-agency partnership comprising:

• Fisheries Commission
• Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Veterinary Services Directorate
• Ghana Maritime Authority
• Ghana Navy
• Marine Police Unit
• Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority
• Universities and research institutions, including the University of Cape Coast, University of Ghana and UMaT
• Coastal Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies
• Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council and other fishing associations
• Civil society organisations, including Friends of the Nation and other marine conservation organisations
• Coastal community representatives and trained local volunteers

The establishment of the Taskforce should be supported by a dedicated Marine Mammal Necropsy Centre to provide specialised facilities for post-mortem examinations, laboratory analysis, sample preservation and scientific research.

Every Stranding Matters. Every Investigation Counts. It is time for Ghana to establish a Marine Mammal Strandings Taskforce.