The Fisheries Commission’s preliminary investigations into fishes that were washed ashore on parts of Ghana’s coastal areas were due to stress factors.
According to one of the veterinary doctors of the Fish Health Unit at the Fisheries Commission, Dr. Peter Zedah, tests conducted so far have revealed that the fish kills occurred as a result of stress factor on the side of the fishes.
Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson, the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development shared the cause-of-death update on her Facebook page.
She wrote:
Officers from the Fish Health Unit and the Scientific Survey Division of the Fisheries Commission were dispatched to Osu Beach following a report on Fish kills to verify the situation and samples were subsequently taken for further investigation.
I today interacted with Veterinary Doctors of the Fish health Unit of the Commission to be updated on the progress of the investigation so far.
According to Dr. Peter Zidda, a fish health Specialist of the Fisheries Commission, preliminary investigations conducted so far has revealed that the fish kills occurred as a result of stress factor on the side of the fishes.
He, however, added that, further pathological investigations on the gills of the fish kills are ongoing and any new development will be made public.
My office is committed to ensuring that fishes from our shores are safe for consumption at all times.
HAWA KOOMSON
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Nonetheless, A team of experts from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Fisheries Commission has released 38 of the dolphins that were washed ashore at Axim-Bewire last Sunday back into the sea.
However, 25 of the marine mammals that were found dead in the communities have been buried.
Officials said an estimated 120 dolphins were washed ashore alive, but they were weak and unable to swim back to their habitat.
Some people picked 29 of the sea mammals to the communities but a search found all of them dead.
Consequently, 25 of the carcasses were buried, while four were taken to the University of Cape Coast for examination.
The rest of the dolphins, according to the team, could not be accounted for.