Ghana

Fisheries Ministry probes mysterious dead fishes at beaches, stays silent over its sale

Monday, April 05, 2021 at 12:31 PM by Nii Ayi Ayitey

- The Ministry of Fisheries has started investigations into the death of fishes washed at shore

- No mention was made on the consumption and sale of these death fishes

- Shoals of dead fish were washed ashore the beaches of Osu and Axim

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The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture has announced a probe into the recent trend of dead shoals of fish washed at shore across various beaches.

In a press statement signed by the Executive Director of the Fisheries Commission, Michael Arthur-Dadzie, the ministry revealed that samples of sea water and iced samples of the dead fish have been taken for laboratory forensics.

Fisheries Ministry probes mysterious dead fishes at beaches, stays silent over its sale (Stock Photos with exception of Press Statement.)
Source: Facebook

Meanwhile, the ministry’s statement made no appeal against the consumption or sale of the death fishes. In the meantime, excerpts of the statement addressed observations by some fisher folk that the fishes had their natural colour changed.

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Shoals of dolphins mysteriously washed ashore at Axim, 7 already butchered and sold

According to the ministry, it is natural for animals to change colour when they die.

Shoals of dolphins were washed ashore of the coast of Brewire, a suburb of Upper Axim Traditional Area of the Nzema East Municipality on Sunday, March 5.

The cause of their death is unknown as residents suspect they might have swallowed or eaten contaminated or poisonous substances.

Already, residents have butchered 7 humpback and sold them off to fishmongers.

A resident, Raphael Eshun, told the media that some fisher folk could not wait for health workers to arrive at the scene before they could cash in on the situation.

“I saw more of the whales close to the seashore and and I think more of them would be washed ashore today and tomorrow. The whales are so many that they have changed the colour of the sea water in the area,” he narrated.

This event follows a similar one at the Osu Beach where thousands of fishes were washed ashore – dead with some sticky texture. There, fisherfolk were warned against the consumption and sale of the fishes.