The Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana has revealed that fish farmers operating along the Volta Lake have incurred losses amounting to ₵46 million due to the release of water from the Akosombo Dam.
Recently, the Volta River Authority (VRA) opened the dam gates to prevent damage to the hydropower plant caused by rising water levels. This move, however, has had dire consequences for fish farmers in the region.
The Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana expressed deep concern about the devastating impact of the recent spillage on its members. The release of water has led to significant destruction of assets and investments for cage farmers operating along the Volta Lake.
In a statement, the Chamber reported that more than 500 cages have been destroyed, resulting in the loss of valuable fish stock, brood stocks, and fingerlings. Additionally, some hatcheries located near the Volta River have been submerged.
“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.
The Chamber estimates that its members and other cage farmers operating on the Volta River have collectively lost approximately ₵46 million in investments due to the spillage from the Akosombo Dam.
They emphasized that the current damage to fish farming assets in the Ada estuary is irreparable.
The Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana called upon the government and relevant stakeholders to provide assistance to the affected fish farmers in the wake of this 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.
They also encouraged fish farmers to consider subscribing to aquaculture insurance as a way to mitigate some of the financial losses they’ve experienced.
Furthermore, the Chamber advised the Volta River Authority to adopt prudent measures to minimize 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.
They urged the VRA to regularly communicate the volume of water being released through various media outlets to help cage farmers prepare and implement measures to mitigate the impact of future spillages.
The Chamber emphasized the importance of cage farmers taking precautions to safeguard their investments.
“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.
This includes adjusting anchors to secure cages firmly, monitoring VRA activities closely, placing floats or barrels around cages to reduce the direct impact of fast-moving water currents, avoiding overstocking cages, harvesting mature fish before spillage occurs, and ensuring that feeders and divers are vigilant in monitoring the condition of nets and debris.