Fishermen at coastal communities in the Ketu South Municipality and Keta Municipality of the Volta Region say rising tides are affecting their fishing activities.

The fishermen revealed this to members of the Journalists for Responsible Fisheries and Environment Network [JRFE] and the Earth Journalism Network [EJN] when they paid a visit to the coastal communities.

The journalists visited the communities to interact with them in commemoration of the World Ocean Day.

At Fuveme, an island in the Keta municipality, fishermen say they were constantly frustrated when they go fishing. A fisherman, Togbe Viatsideka Katsekpor, said they hardly get any catch.

He said during the rainy season too their homes flood, displacing their families and entire communities.

“We live in fear all the time and cannot even go fishing because of the issue of the tidal wave which is very rampant in the area,” he complained.

According to him, most of them have stopped fishing and have resorted to other means of getting livelihood to feed their family as they wait for a permanent solution from government.

The situation is similar in Blekusu, another community in the Ketu South Municipality.

Fishermen and fishmongers in the town also complained bitterly about the tidal waves which they say have destroyed their homes and properties and left them poorer than they were in the past.

Regent for the area, Martin Mensah, pleaded with the government to urgently construct a sea defence wall to protect communities situated in the coastal areas.

“Government must do something about our situation instead of sending food anytime tidal waves hit us,” he said.

MCE for Keta Municipality, Seth Yormewu, said the government is doing everything possible to make sure that tidal waves in coastal communities become a thing of the past.

“Government is making sure that the tidal waves problem is solved very soon,” he promised.