Monday 1 September 2014

Oil or smoke – what’s killing the whales and dolphins of Ghana?


Posted by: Leya Musa / 6 days ago

Over the last few years the number of whales and dolphins that are dying along the coast of Ghana have increased. Locals claim that deaths started to happen following oil drilling in the region while the country’s Environment Protection Agency (EPA) is claiming that local are killing the creatures and smoking them for sale as fish.

The latest whale to wash ashore in the Western region of Ghana brings to a total of 21 whales since 2010 and 26 since 2008. The locals claim that the whale deaths have increased since the Jubilee Oil Field was opened and it is the drilling which is causing the large number of deaths. Oil was first discovered in 2007 with production of crude oil beginning in 2010.

The head of a 9 man panel set up to investigate the whale and dolphin deaths though claim that local people are undertaking a ‘targeted slaughter’ of whales and dolphins. Professor Ofori-Danso, the head of a 9-member committee sanctioned by the EPA is claiming that local fishermen catch dolphins and whales. They then smoke the meat and pass it off as smoked fish. Dolphin meat is also used as bait for shark fishing.

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