Society Laments Devastation Of Fishery

The effect of flood on  fishery in the Niger Delta has been described as disastrous.

The National President of the Nigerian Environmental Society, NES, Dr Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu who stated this in an exclusive interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt recently said the fisheries industry was the mainstay of the economy.

He said the challenge on fishery was enormous as the rise in the water level would also affect the temperature levels.

He expressed fear of what would happen when fish that were of temperate water were discharged into tropical water.

According to him, most of the fish from the temperate water were carnivorous and when they find their way into our own kind of water, they devour fish that come across them.

He said this scenario would lead to an increase of the carnivorous specie to the detriment of the tropical fish and called on the fisheries experts to have a critical look on such development.

On the effects of the flood on agric culture, the NES boss explained that while the people were mainly subsistence farmers, as they return to their natural habitats. They have to battle with how to resettle as most of their farms have been lost to the floods.

He said the farming industry noted for being subsistence would suffer and the farmers would face food insufficiency not to talk about the decline on their contribution to the society at large.

According to him, the way forward was for the relevant government agencies in all the affected States to evolve processes that would provide avenues for farmers to start early planting and reactivating nurseries for fish farmers.

“The agriculture ministries in conjunction with other relevant agencies should start thinking about planting those crops that could be harvested early enough to make for the shortfall that was occasioned by the flooding” he said.