Ankobra(W/R), Dec. 1, GNA – Chief Fisherman of Ankobra in the Ellembelle District, Mr Kwame MacCarthy has revealed a drastic decline in fish catch following the recent invasion of Sargassum Seaweeds on the West Coast of Ghana.
According to him, though the Seaweeds have been swept back into the sea, fishers continued to experience low catch in their daily fishing expeditions.
Mr MacCarthy made this known to the Ghana News Agency during a visit to the shores of Ankobra to ascertain the state of fishing in the aftermath of the Sargassum seaweeds invasion.
According to the Chief Fisherman, fishers were now catching seaweeds instead of fish, the situation, he said, was a very serious one as it has threatened the very livelihoods of the fishing community.
Mr MacCarthy said the situation has compounded an existing one after staying out of fishing for three months during the Sargassum seaweeds invasion.
He however attributed the Sargassum seaweeds invasion to oil and gas exploration in the deep sea.
The Chief Fishermen also observed that any time fishers spotted the light around the oil rig for exploration, the Sargassum seaweeds begin to show up and find their way to the shorelines.
He used the opportunity to appeal to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development to come to the aid of fishers by instituting a relief fund to better the living conditions of fishing communities that were worst hit by the recent Sargassum seaweeds invasion on the West Coast of Ghana.
Reacting to the plight of the fishermen and those who depended on the fishing industry in the Oil and Gas enclave, the Convenor of the Ghana Environmental Advocacy Group and a native of the area, Madam Elizabeth Allua Vaah cited the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Oil and Gas Sector.
The document, signed in July 2013 by the then Minister for Energy and Petroleum, Mr Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, and Dr Joe Oteng Agyei, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation as Ghana’s Oil and Gas industry took off along the West Coast, captured concerns by the fishermen.
The document spelt out the impact of drilling and other activities of the Oil and Gas players on fish stock; disposal of ballast water from ships and its impact on the marine environment; climate change among others and the need for sustainable alternative livelihood schemes for persons affected by the oil and gas development.
She noted that the recommendations in the said documents have ended up being an academic exercise rather than a tool for the actionable programme to deal with the identified risks.
Madam Allua Vaah called on the relevant government Ministries, the Petroleum Commission, and the GNPC Foundation to act as a matter of urgency to go to the aid of the affected people.
According to her, the time has come for a dedicated fund to take care of the peculiar challenges facing the people along the west coast as a result of the Oil and Gas activities.