Ghana’s waters are home to whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals that are increasingly at risk from entanglement, vessel strikes, and habitat disturbance. Friends of the Nation (FoN) works with fishing communities and partner institutions to monitor these populations and strengthen protection for them along the coast.

What We Do

FoN supports community-based monitoring networks made up of fishers, canoe owners, and coastal residents who are often the first to encounter marine mammals in distress, whether entangled in gear, injured, or stranded on beaches. We train these community monitors and members of the Marine Mammal Rescue and Response teams to recognise and safely respond to sightings and incidents, and to report them promptly so that data can inform national conservation planning. FoN also works with fisher groups to promote gear and practices that reduce the risk of entanglement, and engages with relevant government agencies to strengthen the enforcement of protections for marine mammals in Ghanaian waters.

Why It Matters

Reliable, community-sourced data is essential for understanding how many marine mammals live in and pass through Ghana’s waters, and what threatens them. Coastal communities are already present at sea every day; equipping them to monitor and respond to marine mammal incidents turns that presence into a genuine conservation asset, while also protecting the fishers themselves from the dangers of encountering large, distressed animals unprepared.