The Omanhen of the Edina Traditional area, Nana Kojo Conduah is asking fishmongers in the country to reject unwholesome fish that are caught by fishermen using unauthorized means of fishing. According to him, the continuous rejection of such unwholesome fish will teach the fishermen lessons not to engage in illegal fishing that is contributing to the depletion of fish stocks in the country.

Nana Kojo Conduah was speaking at the launch of a fish processing demonstration centre for Fishmongers in the Western and Central regions at Elmina.

“Be extra vigilante. When they bring the fish and they are unwholesome, do not buy. If you reject them they won’t use the chemicals for fishing again. Our fathers who also go fishing. You always lament that the sea is being destroyed. Who is responsible for the destruction of the sea? Are you not the same people that use this crude method to destroy the sea,” he queried.

The fishing industry in Ghana is based on resources from the marine, freshwater and coastal lagoons. It is estimated that over 250,000 artisanal fishers depend on these resources with over 30,000 fishing vessels. Production from marine fisheries has been declining since 1999.

The decline is attributed largely to the over exploitation using varying illegal fishing methods, which are alien to the practice. The wrong use of dangerous chemicals and fishing gears, such as the use of light, dynamite, carbide and prohibited fishing nets not only destroy the aquatic world but also serve as sources of diseases and pre-mature deaths.

The Omanhen of Edina Traditional area educated the fishmongers on the harmful effect their activities have on society should they fail to reject fish that are caught using

“You know the fishermen that use the unorthodox means of fishing. You know they use chemicals in getting the fish. The fish become unwholesome and not fit for consumption. They are responsible for the many diseases that are springing our societies in recent times,” he explained. The omanhen of Edina Traditional called on government to make drastic laws on the use of plastics and urged the fishing community to adopt a friendly posture towards the environment.

“Everywhere you step at the beach, there is a plastic waste. Our beaches have become untidy. The fishermen now catch plastics instead of fish. This situation is worrying and we need to put checks on our behavior while government helps us out too,” he stated.