More than 60 dolphins and large numbers of different species of fish have washed ashore along the coasts of Axim-Bewire in the Nzema East Municipality of the Western Region, Osu in the Greater Accra Region and Keta in the Volta Region in the last two days.
In Axim-Bewire alone, Graphic Online’s Dotsey Kobla Aklorbortu reported that over 60 dolphins washed ashore were counted on Sunday, April 4, 2021 by the indigenes.
Some of the large species of fish spotted in Osu in Accra were washed ashore on Friday, April 2, 2021.
In Keta in the Volta Region, plenty dead tuna also washed ashore on Sunday, April 4, 2021.
Environmental officers from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in these areas are having a hectic time preventing members of the public from consuming the fish or have close contacts with them since it is still not clear what is killing them and causing them to wash ashore.
The fears of the Environmental officers are that many of these species of fish and sea mammals did not wash shore alive but dead and samples have to be taken for laboratory analysis.
At Axim-Bewire, in the Western Region, all 60 dolphins have gone missing from the shore, since the processed dolphin is said to attract very high price in the market, reports Graphic Online’s Western Regional correspondent, Dotsey Kobla Aklorbortu.
Currently, Marine Police Unit of the Ghana Police Service and the Fisheries Commission are heading to the scene to help contain the situation and if possible retrieve them from those processing it.
Picture taken at Dzelukpe near Keta
Investigation of fish mortality
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Fisheries Commission on Sunday, April 4, 2021 said information got to the commission about the incident on Saturday , April 3, 2021, in the evening, in respect of the fish mortalities sighted at the Osu Castle Beach.
The statement from the commission issued by the Executive Director of the Fisheries Commission, Michael Arthur-Dadzie said a team from the Fish Health Unit and the Fisheries Scientific Survey Division of the Fisheries Commission was despatched to the area.
Source: Graphic Online
