Western Region: Dead sea mammals retrieved at Upper Axim, Bewire

A team of health officials, policemen and National Security officials has retrieved quantities of smoked melon-headed whales (dolphins) in Upper Axim and Bewire in the Nzema East municipality in the Western Region.

Residents got wind of the dead sea mammals through the pungent smell that emanated from them when fishmongers begun to smoke them.

The fish processers are said to have contracted people to chop the dead fishes into pieces for processing, while others prepared fire in kilns to smoke them.

Although agencies in food, environmental safety and fisheries moved in to retrieve the washed-ashore fishes from Osu and dolphins at Axim and Bewire, some fish processors in the Nzema East municipality resolved to smoke and sell the fishes, against the caution by health experts in the region.

They claimed to have bought large quantities of the fishes from some fishermen and had, therefore, incurred losses which they needed to recoup.

When the Nzema East Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Frank Okpenyen, led the team to Axim and Bewire, they searched and found baskets full of smoked melon-headed whales ready for the market.

Quantity

Mr Okpenyen told the Daily Graphic that per the estimation of the assembly, more than 250 of the dolphins might have been washed ashore, but the number released back into the sea and those buried did not reflect the actual quantity.

“We, therefore, decided to search some communities, from where we recovered about 20 dolphins, including those packaged for the market, as well as those going through processing in the kilns,” he added.

The MCE explained that the rationale to form the team to embark on the search was to ensure that the dead dolphins were not sold to the public.

“There is the need to ensure that health experts take charge of the carcasses to determine the actual cause of death,” Mr Okpenyen said.

He said the team would ensure that the rest of the sea mammals were retrieved and destroyed.

“But let me say that aside from the dolphins, which we are working to prevent from entering the market, other fish stock from the area are safe for consumption,” the MCE said.

Analysis

For his part, the Western Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr George K. Deawuoh, said samples of the dead fishes were being analysed.

According to him, the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the global body charged with the conservation of whales and the management of whaling, had expressed interest in the outcome of the findings, which he said would soon be released to establish the exact cause of the fishes being washed ashore.

Background

More than 120 large fishes, identified as melon-headed whales, and other species were washed ashore along the coasts of Axim and Bewire in the Nzema East municipality in the Western Region and Osu in the Greater Accra Region.

Some of the melon-headed whales washed ashore were alive, while small fishes, mostly pelagic and demersals, were found at Osu.

Some fishermen collected the fishes, which they later sold to some fishmongers.

Last Monday, 38 of the dolphins and other fishes were retrieved alive and released back into the sea, four were sent for analysis, while 29 were declared dead.