Sale of unwholesome fish could lead to 4-year jail term – FDA warns

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has cautioned that engaging in sales of dead fishes which were washed ashore under mysterious circumstances could lead to a four-year jail sentence.

Deputy Chief Executive, Food Division at the FDA, Roderick Daddey-Adjie, told JoyNews that those who deal in fish trade should desist from such practices.

“If you are intentionally doing this thing, knowing or unknowingly and the law grabs you, you stand the possibility of conviction to a term of four years imprisonment or a fine or you get both as the judge deems fit,” he said.

The warning comes on the back of recent reports indicating that some people have collected scores of dead fishes and dolphins washed ashore on beaches in the Greater Accra and Western Regions over the weekend.

Residents in Osu, Keta and Axim-Bewire have since April 2, sighted over 60 dead dolphins and other sea mammals along its coastline. Some of these dolphins were reported missing soon after they washed ashore.

The FDA after receiving reports from its Western Regional Office has intensified its public education and sensitisation on the signs of contaminated fishes in the fishing communities and fish markets.

Although the Authority is yet to retrieve any of the fishes suspected to have been poisoned, Mr Daddey-Adjie is confident culprits will not be spared.

“So our options are very clear and we are not leaving any stones unturned, this is very serious business,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Authority says it has dispatched its inspection team to suspected markets around the country’s coasts where various species of fish have been washed ashore.

These include the Osu Mandela market in the Korle-Klottey Municipal Assembly as well as other markets in the Western Region.