Fishing remains a major source of livelihood for thousands of people living around the coastal areas in West Africa. Despite this huge economic benefit, the ocean provides protecting these coastal ecosystems has not received the much-needed attention.
Among a number of illegal practices which threaten the livelihood of these fishers and aquatic life is chemical pollution. Chemical pollution is the usage of harmful contaminated substances that affect health condition of something. Manufactured pollutants of chemicals that threaten the ocean include pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, detergents, oil, industrial chemicals, and sewage.
Pollutants from the environment have its way to the coastal areas and enters the ocean. Nutrients packed fertilizers, DDT, chemicals for fishing, insecticide’s etc eventually ends in the ocean that triggers and rob the water for oxygen and affects the life of marine organisms.
DDT is one of the first synthetic insecticides that was developed in the 1940s and past figures have shown that as much as 25% of the worlds DDT production might have ended up in the ocean and a proportion of this has entered the marine food web.
These activities do not only affect fishers but aquatic ecosystem that is normally wipe off by the introduction of too much algae and phytoplankton with devastating consequences.
These together with other toxic waste harms the food chain of aquatic life. Aquatic life suffers when there is loss of fresh water and oxygen. We therefore are mandated as individuals to check the chemicals that we release into the environment to make sure aquatic life is protected.
By Blessing Aglago | SOA Ghana Fellow
