The Ghana Police Service is on a manhunt for two Chinese nationals who are said to have imported unwholesome tilapia into the country.
According to the Police, they have a bench warrant to arrest the two; Zhang Ming alias Gary and Chu Yong Shuai “for the offence of importation of Tilapia Fish in commercial quantity into the Republic of Ghana without permit contrary to section 130 (1) and (3) of Fisheries Act 2002 (Act 625) respectively.”
Zhang Ming, a businessman and his accomplice Shuai, imported 1,310 cartons of tilapia into a cold store in Tema on January 29, 2017, the police said in a public notice signed by Olivia Turkson, Public Relations Officer of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
“The Food and Drugs Authority were invited by the Police to inspect the alleged imported tilapia to ascertain whether the fish were wholesome for human consumption. Results by the FDA revealed that the tilapia were unwholesome for human consumption.”
The suspects have since bolted, and according to the police, all efforts made to trace them have proved futile “hence the call for public support to get the suspects arrested and brought to book.”
‘Fish shortage to hit Ghana if Chinese fishermen are banned’
The development comes after calls by some Ghanaian fishermen for government to stop Chinese fishermen from operating in Ghanaian waters.
But the Managing Director of the semi-industrial fishing company, Onyame Fisheries, Joe Onyame, insisted that there will be a severe shortage of fish in Ghana if Chinese fishermen are banned.
According to him, the locals do not have the requisite capital and skill to buy and operate vessels used by the Chinese to harvest fish from the sea for consumption.