About the Host Institution                                      

Marine Fisheries Research Division (mfrd)

The Marine Fisheries Research Division (MFRD), Tema, of the Ministry of Fisheries is the host institution of the ODINAFRICA-II Project in Ghana.  MFRD was established in 1962 as the Fisheries Research Unit (FRU) under a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations Technical Assistance Programme. Its main objective was to conduct marine environmental   and fisheries resources research studies that would help the Ghana government in its desire to modernized the fishing industry and manage the fisheries resources on sustainable bases. In 1975, the name was change to Fisheries Research and Utilization Branch (FRUB).  Following the re-structuring of the Fisheries Directorate in 1985 as part of the World Bank assisted Fisheries Sub-Sector Capacity Building Project, the name was again changed to Marine Fisheries Research Division (MFRD),  

The functions of MFRD are as follows:

• To research and monitor the marine environment and assess its changes in so afar as they affect the fisheries resources
• To estimate annual fish production in Ghanaian  marine environment
• To undertake biological studies of commercially important fish species   
• To assess the stocks of demersal and pelagic fishery resources                   
• To undertake study an d development of fishing gears
• To provide information required for the preparation of fisheries management plans, and
• To collaborate with sub regional, regional and international organizations in the study and management of shared fish stocks such as the sardinellas and tunas

The Division over the years in additions to its established mandate has also contributed to the training of biologists, oceanographers and fisheries scientists in collaboration with the University of Ghana, University of Cape Coast, kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and University of Education. The Division also contributes to the training of middle-level manpower, mainly technical officers from the Agriculture colleges and personnel for the fishing industry including fishermen. Mechanics and coxswains

The Division has three scientific sections, Oceanography, Fish Stocks and Statistics, and Fishing Gear Improvement, Development and Techniques

The Division collaborates with a number of international organizations to undertake study of the marine environment and management of fisheries resources in West Africa. This are mainly FAO and UNESCO of the United Nations, ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas), GCLME (Gulf of Guinea Current large Marine Ecosystem Project), IRD (Institute de Recherché pour le Development/France, formally ORSTOM and the European Commission. It also collaborate with Intergovernmental oceanography Commission (IOC) of International  Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) and over the years, has been sending ocean data to the World Data Centre in Washington D.C