There is no Salmon “fish” in Ghana-Fisheries Scientist
Accra- The fish described by most Ghanaians as Salmons are rather chub mackerels and they are highly nutritious, a fisheries scientist at the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Dr Isaac Okyere, has said.
« We do not have Salmons in our tropical waters. What we have is mackerel. Salmon is like the brother of mackerel and they are all highly nutritious and healthy for consumption”, Dr Okyere explained.
He said both the mackerel and salmon, have nutritional values and possessed Omega three oil.
He was speaking to a group of journalists from selected media houses at a five-day training workshop on fisheries management organised by the Center for Coastal Management (CCM), University of Cape Coast (UCC).
The workshop was organised in collaboration with Nature Today, Ghana, and USAID at the Ainoo Ansah Farms, in Gomoa Okyereko, near Winneba in the Central Region.
According to Dr Okyere, Salmons could not live in tropical areas, where the temperature of the sea was warm, but they could thrive in temperate water in places like Australia where it is cold.
“They cannot survive in the sea in Ghana, » he emphasized.
He said the flesh of salmon is orange and looks entirely different from the flesh of mackerel which is cream or brown when smoked or cooked.
He urged the media to help correct the long term misinformation, and better educate the public on the right terms and the types of fish species for better management.
Dr Okyere said fish was an important resource as it provided food, promoted good health and created employment, and medicine as well as serve as animal feed.
As objects of national and international trade, fish also provided income and foreign exchange and therefore, reduce poverty.
He said in Ghana, about three million people were directly employed by the fisheries sector representing about 10 percent of the total population, while contributing more than 1.5 percent of the value of all goods and services produced in Ghana- Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Dr Okyere urged all stakeholders to continue to collaborate for the effective management of the fisheries sector since it contributed enormously to the economy of Ghana.
He said attention needed to be focused on the entire value chain, especially on the production of fish and its marketing.
