Farmed tilapia. (Photo: Michael Rupert Hayes/CC BY-SA 2.0)

Tilapia sold in Asutsuare is safe, states Ministry of Fisheries

GHANA
Saturday, October 20, 2018, 01:20 (GMT + 9)

The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development ensures consumers that the tilapia from the market at Asutsuare, in the Shai Osudoku District of the Greater Accra Region, does not represent a health risk. 

The calming message is expressed after the death of about 18 tonnes of tilapia being raised at Chinese owned company Fujian Farm and that had allegedly been imported into the country from China, Modern Ghana reported.

The fish was seized and destroyed by local authorities but at present the tilapia mortality is not yet known. Some reports indicate that the tilapia died because they may be a strain of a genetically modified organism (GMO) that could not survive conditions in the fish ponds in Accra.

Fish farming experts also say they suspect that there was a toxic residue in the pond due to “massive organic loading”.

This “organic loading”, according to experts, can be caused by excessive feed input per unit volume of water, poor water exchange per the expanse of installed cages and the cool surface temperature due to extended cloud cover caused by persistent rainfall.

In this regard, Chief Director of the Ministry, Professor Francis Nunoo said enough measures have already been put in place to ensure that the Ministry is aware of the circumstances that led to the situation.

He also advised the public to buy tilapia from the right sources to ensure a proper follow up during such incidents.

“It is an isolated case so the identified farm has been quarantined and under supervision,” Nunoo pointed out.

Meanwhile, Ghana Aquaculture Association President Jennifer Sodji, in a Citi News interview, said Ghanaians should not panic over the matter.

“…We realized that the fishes were dying and then we alerted the fisheries commission. EPA also moved in there to investigate the fish at the farm. The general public is not supposed to be worried about it because as we speak part of that farm has been closed down,” she added.

Ghana consumes over 950,000 metric tons of fish annually and currently imports over 60 per cent of its fish because the country is unable to meet the demand locally.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) placed a ban on the importation of all ornamental fishes and tilapia species (live and dead), including gametes (eggs) and milt, into the country from July 1 to December 31, 2018.

A statement issued by MoFAD to announce the ban said the tilapia Lake virus (TiLV) was a newly emerging virus associated with significant mortalities in farmed tilapia of which some cases were informed in African countries.

Related article:

- Tilapia import banned over virus entrance concerns

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