Director of Centre for Coastal Management at UCC explains cause of fish deaths

The Director of Centre for Coastal Management at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Prof Dennis Worlanyo Aheto has stated that the death of sea fishes can be attributed to climate change effect.

Another factor, he told 3FM’s Komla Adom in an interview on Monday, April 5, can be chemical pollution.

Tons of dead fish were found along the shores of the Osu Castle beach in Accra on Friday.

On that same day, close to 100 mammals suspected to be melon-headed whales were also washed ashore at the Axim-Bewire beach in the Nzema East Municipality of the Western Region.

The Western Regional Acting Director of the Fisheries Commission, Alhassan Arafat Salifu told journalists that “We are now counting to know the actual numbers that were washed ashore since they are in different parts of the beach. Some are still struggling to breathe and some are dead.”

Sharing his thoughts on this development, Prof Aheto said “This is not the first time. As a matter of fact, these things do happen occasionally not just in Ghana but along coastal countries, so it is not surprising.

“The more problematic one is the dolphins that have also been washed. These are marine mammals and it calls for concerns because these are already threatening the species.

“There are a number of factors that can lead to this kind of situations. From marine ecology point of view, an overturn of the water due to climate change effect can lead to deoxygenated environment in the upper waters which can cause mass deaths.

“You cannot also rule out possible effect of chemical pollution in the water.”