There have been widespread apprehension as many dead croaker fishes, washed off from Boony Waterways in Rivers State have been sold in local markets for consumption. The Bonny Environmental Consultant Committee (BECC) has noted.
BECC, a volunteer team of Bonny Indigenes who took time to investigate causes and the environmental impacts of the dead fishes to their communities disclosed in a memo obtained by RootstvNigeria that Croaker fishes were the only ones affected by the accident.
The team confirmed to have sighted many fishes lying dead and littered along the shorelines in many of the impacted areas which include: Amariari, Lighthouse, River 7, Agaja, Uku-Mbi, Mbisu 1, Mbisu 2, and Ifoko communities in Bonny LGA; Oyorokoto and others in Andoni LGA.
The team also received reports that several communities along the Atlantic shoreline across the area referred to as the Gulf of Guinea which includes Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa and Akwa-Ibom States were affected too.
Quoting the community heads, fishermen, market women who trade in fish, the team noted that the offensive odour of the dead fishes was scaring away other living fishes thus depriving the fish farmers their daily catches.
“They informed that the incidence began about the last week of March 2020 and were in large quantities as much as were filling their fishing baskets and boats. Some used theirs for domestic consumption while others dried and sold to their customers both in Bonny and Port Harcourt.”
Also, the team, in its independent investigation revealed that the “dead fishes were always turning up fresh in the mornings along the shores…with some alive when sighted only to die later adding that, on the body of the fish, “swellings were sighted looking like a lesion or boil and W\when pricked, something pus would be excreting from it. The fish begins to rotten from the tail as against the head. The fish begins to turn green when it begins to get rotten. When spread out on the fire to dry, unlike normal fish, these do not thoroughly dry up, instead they would disintegrate or scatter.” The BECC investigations revealed.
Unwholesome Economic Activities
While the cause of the deaths of the croaker fishes was yet to be ascertained, there have been concerns about the sale of the contaminated fishes in the local markets and in the capital city of Port Harcourt.
“The failure of the fisher folks who first witnessed it to alert the authorities but went haywire harvesting them for sales both fresh and dried. Inspite of the injunctions by various community heads that people should not harvest the fish, locals were sighted harvesting in large quantities. Even out there at the high sea, several fishing boats were sighted harvesting the fish. Several people confirmed to us that the fish was in the markets and even in Port Harcourt.”
Is the Ministry of Environment Aware?
RootstvNigeria contacted Sagir Aliyu, the Chief Press Secretary to the Minister of Environment, Muhammad Mahmood for comment but he could neither confirm nor deny whether the Ministry was aware of the situation.
He said in a telephone conversation that the lockdown, due to COVID-19 pandemic has affected the work-flow but he promised to do his findings.
“I’ll find out, we are on lockdown but I’ll make some calls to enquire.” Aliyu said in a telephone conversation with RootstvNigeria.
The Niger Delta region is the oil-producing area of Nigeria and it consists of highly diverse ecosystems that are supportive of numerous species of terrestrial and aquatic fauna and flora. However, crude oil spills and its production in the region have endangered fish hatcheries in coastal water and also contaminate valuable fish.
The incidence of oil spills among other environmental factors has also depressed agricultural outputs particularly fishing in the region.
The government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, and multi-national oil companies in 2018 mobilised $180million for the environmental cleanup of the region for it to become more habitable.
However, the Bonny Environmental Consultant Committee (BECC) recommended that the incident should be declared a Public Health Emergency and Croaker fish should be avoided for now.
“A declaration of the situation as a Public Health Emergency, a declaration that the Croaker Fish as at now should be avoided, should not be bought or sold, and not harvested wherever it is sighted whether dead or alive.
“Law enforcement and security agencies should be mandated to enforce the ban on the fish, especially the harvesting of it onshore and offshore.
“Law enforcement and security agencies to enforce the ban on the sale of the fish.
“Engagement of experts to explore the possibility of breeding that species of fish so that it doesn’t go extinct.
“Public health office should be mandated to study and recommend the best approaches to checkmate any outbreak of infection arising from consuming the fish.” The team advised.
