Fishes are dying in great numbers and are getting washed ashore along the coast of Niger Delta states. It is a worrying situation for residents along the coastlines of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, and Rivers, and other places within the region.
The dead fish are mostly croaker, but experts from the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF) identified some shiny nose fish amongst the dead.
“The cause of death of the fish is yet to be confirmed,” NCF tweeted. “However (we are) working with relevant stakeholders, samples have been taken to the laboratory to conduct proper investigation and advise accordingly”.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) also said it has commenced inquiry to identify the cause of the mass fish deaths.
While the situation is of utmost concern, some locals are taking advantage of the situation to make brisk business. They are selling the fish to unsuspecting individuals. Consuming such fish is dangerous especially when the cause of death is not known.
“We want to identify the cause and establish what can be done to alleviate the adverse effect of this occurrence on the people and the marine environment in the affected areas,” Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh said in a press release.
He added that deliberately selling the dead fish to the public may carry criminal liability.
Rivers State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Igbiks has also warned the people living in the communities around Finima in Bonny LGA and Oyorokoto in Andoni LGA not to eat dead fishes as the ministry would carry out full scale investigation to ascertain the actual cause of the death.
The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) said it is also helping with the investigation into the cause of fish deaths. Shell activities had been fingered as the cause. An Environmentalist, Mr. Furoebi Akene, alleged that the fish deaths were caused by the discharge of toxic chemicals from Shell’s operations at Ogulagha in Delta.
House of Representatives member from the Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency in Rivers State, Farah Dagogo also thinks the deaths may be linked to pollution.
“Their death may be as a consequence of pollution caused by the oil and gas companies operating in the region or other associated factors as noted by some environmentalists, or likely as a result of increasing toxicity of the Atlantic ocean, which the primary investigation I conducted indicates. And it can also be all of the aforementioned,” Dagogo said in a statement on May Day.
He called for swift action to be taken on the matter.
But the Media Relations Manager of SPDC, Mr. Bamidele Odugbesan brushed the allegation off, saying that there was no oil leakage from its activities linked to the dead fishes.
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“The Nigeria Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) was widely reported to have clearly stated that there is no evidence that oil and gas operations may have impacted the aquatic environment as being claimed in respect of the fish kill incident,” Odugbesan said in a statement.
Idris Musa, Director-General of NOSDRA confirmed that the agency found no connection with oil spills to the dead fishes and was looking at other probable causes.
According to FishNet Alliance, shoals of dead crocker, also known as “broke marriage” or “onah” were first noticed in February along the Niger Delta coastlines in Ogbulagha Kingdom in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State
Then the same pattern was noticed in other fishing communities along the Atlantic coastline of Ondo, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom.
