General News of Tuesday, 19 September 2017
Source: citifmonline.com
2017-09-19
The lifeless marine mammal was noticed in the early hours of the Tuesday
A dead whale has been washed ashore on the Tettekpoe beach at Keta in the Volta Region.
Scores of residents around the area thronged the coastline to catch a glimpse of a whale which was discovered dead on Tuesday.
The lifeless marine mammal was noticed in the early hours of the Tuesday. A Wildlife Officer in the Keta Municipality, Abdul Karim Fuseini, said the whale was about 39 feet long and 16 feet in height.
The residents who were amazed at the sight of the dead whale, employed various means to draw much closer to catch a glimpse of it.
Some of them who spoke to Citi News said the phenomenon is the first in several decades.
It is unclear what might have led to the death of the whale, but a Chief fisherman in the locality, Seth Kedey, said the mammal could have been hit by a large vessel.
Although whales are endangered species, they play an important role in the ocean’s ecosystem by regulating the food chain and ensuring that all aquatic animals enjoy a fair share of their staple foods.
Mr. Abdul Karim has however advised residents not to eat the animal since the cause of death is unclear.
Between 2013 and 2014, Ghana witnessed a number of incidents of dead whales washed ashore in various parts of the country.
Some environmental groups described the development as a spillover effect of the country’s oil exploration.
Friends of the Nation, an environmental NGO, said the death recorded between 2013 and 2014, were “caused by interferences of ocean noise and vibrations from sonar and seismic exploration activities and collision with oil and gas infrastructure or even pollution in the marine environment.”
