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Poisonous tilapia: Fishmongers secretly carted fish for 'koobi'

The over 18 tonnes of tilapia, owned by a Chinese fishing company, Fujian Farm, were buried by the Fisheries Commission over suspicion that it is poisonous.

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But it has been reported that some fishmongers from Volivo, Alabonya and Aveloenye near Asutsuare managed to smuggle some of the dead tilapia.

Suspicions are that they are going to process the fish into dry salted fish locally known as ‘koobi’.

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The fishmongers sped off in their boats when they saw NADMO and Fisheries Commission officials approaching the Volta Lake.

Reports say they were spotted with more than six bags of the dead fish.

Where from the tilapia?

The 18 tonnes of shoals of fish were imported into the country by the Chinese fishing company Fujian Farm.

Fujian Farm is also co-owed by a Ghanaian called Jonathan Aryee.

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The tilapia are suspected to be poisonous and earlier reports suggested some of the tilapia may be on the market.

The Food and Drugs Authority are analysing samples of the tilapia.

How were the tilapia discarded?

The tilapia were buried in a large pit after it was suspected to be unwholesome.

About 18 tonnes were disposed off and according to NADMO officials, measures have been put in place to ensure no one smuggles the fish into the market.

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Fish experts and agriculturists from the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development were sent to contain the situation.

Should Ghanaians panic?

President of the Ghana Aquaculture Association, Jennifer Sodji, has 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 told Accra-based Citi FM.

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