West Africa’s largest tilapia producing company, Volta Catch, has described as hasty, the government’s decision to ban the importation of tilapia into the country following an emerging Tilapia lake virus.

The Financial Controller of the company, Joshua Bosoka, in an interview on Eyewitness News, said the government’s decision was without due consultations with stakeholders for adequate information especially when the possibility of the virus getting into Ghana was very minimal.

“Our main issue is the hasty nature of the statement that was issued yesterday. This virus is not in West Africa. It is found in Egypt currently. It is nowhere in West Africa. Just issuing a statement without consulting the stakeholders to know what the virus is about is problematic. The virus has no effect on humans. The virus has more effect on the producers of tilapia in the country, because if you have this virus on your fish, you will have higher mortality, which rather affects the producers,” he added.

He said the government’s blanket ban is already taking a toll on local fishing businesses as fish consumers are declining due to low purchase of the product due to fear.

According to him, the development may eventually lead to job cuts and the collapse of companies in aquaculture.

“The government should have consulted the stakeholders. It should have been worded in a different way so that it will not put fear and panic in the general public. Today, sales for most of the aquaculture businesses in the country has reduced drastically because a lot of people are afraid to consume tilapia and the tilapia we have in the country is not imported tilapia… The statement is badly affecting local businesses and it may lead to job losses,” he said.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in a statement earlier this week announced a ban on the importation of all ornamental fishes and tilapia species.

It said the ban, which takes effect on July 1 and is to last for 6 months, was a proactive measure to tackle the emerging Tilapia lake virus.

The Head of Aquatic Animal Health Unit of the Fisheries Commission, Dr. Peter Ziddah, advised consumers to be vigilant and report any suspected case to the ministry.

Some of the reported symptoms of infected fish include reddened skin, inflammation of organs including the eyes and brain, liver damage, and eventual organ failure and death.

The mortality rate is about 80-100% of infected fish, according to research at the American Society for Microbiology.

Source: citinewsroom.com