The once booming fishing business, which used to help fisher folks take good care of their families, is now sharply in decline due to the dumping of plastic waste in the ocean.
The fishing business in Accra, La specifically, has dwindled in recent years as compared to times past. Fishing in the area has been abysmal this year, largely due to the amount of rubbish dumped in the ocean.
A visit to the La seashore reveals a cluttered common ground where dozens of plastic waste materials are found in the net anytime there’s a haul.
A fisherman in the area, Mr. Aryee, bemoaned the rate at which waste products has occupied the sea, making it virtually impossible to get a decent catch, causing financial loss to them, making it difficult to for families to be catered for.
The challenges involved in the fishing sector are numerous including boats capsizing in the sea while on fishing expeditions and compounded with the near zero catch on some expeditions, a stark picture emerges.
One fish monger lamented bitterly “plastic waste has chased away all the fishes in the sea leaving us with rubbish all the time instead of fish,” she remarked.
Mr. Aryee, the head of the fishermen together with the fish mongers, pleaded with the government to assist the La fisher folks curb the practice of plastic and organic waste being disposed recklessly so fish stock can rise as expressed in an interview with Naa Teki Becks.
“I would appreciate if the sitting President organizes a group of people to halt the dumping of rubbish in gutters as it all crawls down into the sea, chasing the fishes away and also causing loss of catch during fishing.
“This remedy will position our economic benefits and boost the fishing sector again or probably bring it back to its roots,” Naa Becks said.
By Rebecca Marteki Markwei