Fish Virus: Ghana bans tilapia fish imports

Tilapia. Credit/AFP

Fish Virus: Ghana bans tilapia fish imports

For fear of the Tilapia Lake Virus (TilV) which has no cure yet and had been found in tilapia farms across Africa, Asia and South America, Ghana will ban the importation of all tilapia fish.

This measure is to prevent the outbreak of the virus which posed a huge risk to the global tilapia industry, the Ministry of Fisheries has said.

Tilapia is one of the most commonly eaten types of fish in Ghana

The ministry said the six-month ban – which comes into effect on Sunday – would affect both live and dead tilapia fish. Ghana’s fish stock has been depleting because of illegal over-fishing.

There are a few tilapia farms in Ghana, but the farming is done on a small scale.

Tilapia is a popular dish in Ghana, and is often served with a fermented corn and cassava dough called banku, the BBC said