Woman confesses eating dead fishes washed ashore at Osu Beach
A resident of Osu Anorhor in the Korley Klottey Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, has confessed to eating some of the dead fishes washed ashore over the weekend.
Mercy Nortey said someone sold it to her on Good Friday, April 2, but upon discovering that they were among the dead fishes washed ashore, she drank palm oil, in order to dilute any potential poison that might be contained in the fish.
Madam Nortey made the disclosure when Madam Mavis Hawa Koomson, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, led a delegation to Osu Anorhor, to interact with the Chief Fisherman of Osu Alata, Nii Djamlodja, and residents.
Madam Nortey said although she experienced stomach upset and visited the toilet several times, she discounted the effect of the fish she ate, and blamed the palm oil she took afterwards.
Madam Hawa Koomson was accompanied by Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Mr Michael Ata Dadzie, Executive Director of Fisheries Commission, Madam Delese Mimi Darko, the CEO of Food and Drugs Authority and some officials from the sector ministry.
They assured residents of efforts being made by the government to unravel the cause(s) of the situation.
The Sector Minister said although samples of the dead fishes had been taken for laboratory test, her outfit had also constituted an Inter-Agency Committee, comprising officials from the Fisheries Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drugs Authority and Marine Police to investigate the cause(s) of the situation.
She appealed to those who had eaten some of the dead fishes to voluntarily own up so that health officials could monitor them to avert any eventuality.
She asked those who had already sold the fishes on the open market to withdraw them to enable the EPA and FDA officials to dispose of them safely.
Ghanaians woke up to the news of scores of dead fishes washed ashore on April 2, at Osu and Axim in the Western Region respectively.
Some residents in those communities allegedly took the fishes and sold them to unsuspecting persons while others used them to prepare sumptuous meals for consumption.
The Marine Police Unit got wind of the situation and managed to seize some of the dead fishes for destruction while FDA had taken samples for laboratory test.
Madam Delese Mimi Darko, the CEO of FDA, gave assurance that the result of the laboratory test would be made public.