The Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana has disclosed that fish farmers along the Volta Lake have lost live fish stock worth ₵46 million due to the spillage of water from the Akosombo Dam.
The Volta River Authority (GRA) opened the dam recently to ensure that the hydropower plant is not damaged as a result of the rising water levels.
The Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana is lamenting the impact of the recent spillage to its members.
The spillage has caused massive destruction to the assets and investments of cage farmers operating along Volta Lake.
“Over 500 cages have been destroyed. Cage farmers are losing their livestock fish stock, brood stocks, and fingerlings. Some hatcheries situated close to the Volta River bank have been submerged,” the Chamber said in a statement.
According to the Chamber, a number of its members and other cage farmers operating on the Volta River have lost an estimated ₵46 million worth of investment as a result of the spillage from the Akosombo Dam.
It explained that the current spillage has washed away fish farming assets from the estuary at Ada and is beyond repairs.
The Chamber called on government and the relevant stakeholders to come to the aid of fish farmers affected by the recent spillage.
“The Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana is also calling on the government, the sector ministry, stakeholders, and other supporting agencies to come to the aid of fish farmers affected by the recent spillage. We would therefore encourage fish farmers to subscribe to aquaculture insurance, which could have absorbed some of the losses they have incurred,” it read.
It further advised the Volta River Authority on prudent measures going forward to minimise the damage to cage farms on the Volta Lake.
“The Chamber is also calling on the Volta River Authority to use the various media outlets and other platforms to constantly announce to its stakeholders the volume of water being spilled, as this will enable cage farmers to adequately prepare and put in place measures that will mitigate the impact of the spillage,” it said.
The Chamber also made an appeal to cage farmers to exercise due care to protect their investment.
“We would therefore encourage fish farmers to subscribe to aquaculture insurance, which could have absorbed some of the losses they have incurred.”
Cage farmers have been advised to adjust their anchors to firmly hold their cages.
“In addition to anchoring the cages, cage farmers are encouraged to constantly monitor the activities of the Volta River Authority in order to prevent any unaware situation that will cause further havoc to assets and investments. Cage Farmers should fix floats or barrels around cages to minimize the direct impact of the fast-moving water currents.
Additionally, cage farmers along Volta Lake should avoid stocking their cages to prevent further loss of investment, harvest mature fish before further spillage is executed, and ensure that feeders and divers are constantly observing the state of affairs of the nets and debris trapped.”
