Fisherfolk lament impact of plastic pollution on fishing activities

Ahead of the World Environment Day, a team from the Meridian Port Services (MPS) held a series of engagements with some members of the fishing community in Tema. The various fishermen bemoaned the negative impacts of plastic pollution on fish catch and fishing in general.

George Adjetey Tawiah one of the participants in the fact-finding engagement who is also the National Organiser for Canoe and Fishing Gear Association of Ghana said the issue of plastic pollution is threatening the fishing profession. “A study shows plastic waste takes about 300 years to disintegrate. Let us draw our attention because this plastic waste enters the sea. Fish also breed and they do so in our water ways. So if the place for breeding is full of plastic waste, where will they lay their eggs? This is an issue that needs to be taken into consideration. The decline of fish in our ocean can be attributed to plastic waste.”

The Head of Legal and Compliance at MPS, Frank Ebow Brown called on government, businesses and the general public to work more closely to treat plastics responsibly.

“When you go to the supermarket, use your bag, do not use single use plastic to pollute the environment. Let us build this culture as we go forward and this will help sustainably address the problems. I will not limit it to the stakeholders of the port community, we are entreating all members of our society.”