Project Detail: Pray for Seamen

Contest:

Swiss Storytelling Photo Grant 9th



Brand:

LuganoPhotoDays



Author:

Francesco Bellina

 

Project Info

Pray for Seamen

Investigating the degradation of small-scale fishing and port communities through human stories, Pray For Seamen, tells a story of bonds: that between humans and the sea, between fishing and the city, between the changing climate and a profession that has to deal with it on a daily basis.

Jamestown, located in Accra, is one of Ghana's historic ports. It has always been famous for fishing and smoking fish, which is then sold in different parts of the country.
There are about ten thousand fishermen operating in the port of Jamestown, facing the presence of Chinese and Korean multinationals, competing with them in fishing and reducing the port space of small fishermen.
In addition, the harbour is now undergoing implementation works, carried out by the Channel Engineering Bureau Group Limited, a Chinese ship engineering company that undertook the construction.
The scarcity of fish available there makes fishing difficult and cannot meet the needs of the many fishermen.
In addition, in 2022, Ghana received a yellow card from the European Commission with regard to fish exports, due to widespread illegal fishing practices.

Photos