Takoradi, April 7, GNA – Mr Donkris Mevuta, the Executive Director of the Friends of the Nation has applauded the timely intervention by the government for instituting an inter-agency investigation to ascertain the cause of the beaching of the Marine mammals.
The agencies are the Food and Drugs Authority, Marine Police, and the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development
Between April 2-4, the country witnessed the washing ashore of several melon-headed whales in Axim and other incidences of dead fishes in Jamestown, Osu, and La which heightened public outcry for the possible cause of the incident.
“We have also taken notice of the anxiety of the public, who are concerned about what is happening in our maritime space.
We, therefore, wish to call on all to remain calm, avoid unnecessary speculation and wait for the outcome of the inter-agency investigations,” he added in a press statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday.
Mr. Mevuta said, the Friends of the Nation had approached the International Whales Committee and other experts with such beaching experiences around the world for the underlying factors resulting in the incident and will provide the inter-agency investigative team with such information for their consideration.
The FoN recommended the establishment of a dedicated communication hotline through which the coastal communities and the public could provide feedback and reports on any emerging issue for a timely response.
Again, considering reports that some of the beached melon-headed whales and fishes have already been consumed by some residents, we “recommend that the Organisation also called on the Health Service to set in motion a system that will track any possible health effect from the consumption of the fishes that washed ashore”.
Meanwhile, the Regional Food and Drugs Board has cautioned against the consumption of salted fish commonly known as “Kako” and “momoni” to avoid any health challenges.
GNA