James Town fishermen catch waste products

These days, instead of the fishermen at James Town in Accra catching fish in their nets, the nets get full of garbage as result of waste products dumped  into the sea by residents along the beach.

Some of the fishermen believe the overflow of refuse from the Korle Lagoon accounts for the of garbage that get trapped in their fishing nets.

One of them, Nii Ayi Quaye, complained bitterly about the situation and said it was  alarming and that something must be done by the authorities.

The  Coordinating Director of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Mr Sam Ayeh Darteh, told the Daily Graphic two years ago that the assembly had contracted  Zoil Ghana Limited, a subsidiary  of  Zoomlion Company Limited, to clean the filth along the beaches.

Mr T.N.D. Magoah, the Founder of the Ghana Environmental Awareness Association, said the Korle Lagoon  had become one of the most polluted water bodies in in the country and that his outfit sometimes undertook educational campaigns along the beaches on cleanliness.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the eating of  contaminated fish and shellfish was the main source of methylmercury exposure, especially in populations that rely heavily on the consumption of predatory fish.

It said cooking did not eliminate mercury from fish.

The WHO is preparing a guidance document for risk managers that will use national exposure assessments to determine the appropriate risk management options, bearing in mind the nutritional benefits of fish consumption.

Source: Daily Graphic