Fish Processing in Ghana

Erick Kudjuh, 59 years old, is a fish processor at Jamestown in Accra, Ghana's capital city. Eric Kudjuh is a 59 years old fish processor in Accra, Ghana's capital. More than 2 millionhttp://www.fao.org/fishery/facp/GHA/en#CountrySector-ProductionSector people in Ghana rely on the fisheries sector as a source of jobs. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant He's in charge of a small fish processing area that sits on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Gulf of Guinea. Fish processer in Accra, Ghana's capital city, is butchering and cutting up yellowfin tuna. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantMan and woman process fish in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 MuntProcessing yellowfin tuna in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantYellowfin tuna. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant He spends his days butchering and cutting up mainly yellowfin tuna. The fish are then smoked by placing the meat directly on top of traditional metal drum kilns. Aerial view of the fish processing area. Jamestown is one of the oldest districts in Accra, Ghana. Copyrights © 2020 Muntaka ChasantUsing traditional kilns to smoke fish at Jamestown, Accra, Ghana. This exposes fish processors and consumers to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, known carcinogens linked to several cancers. It is also a major source of air pollution around the area. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantUrban poor woman use traditional kilns to smoke fish in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant But using firewood to smoke fish this way exposes both processors and consumers to toxicants, including Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).http://www.fao.org/3/ca4896en/ca4896en.pdf PAHs are known carcinogenic and have been linked to lung, stomach, and other cancers.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19891791/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412013001633 Several technologies tackle this problem, but many fish processors in Ghana complain that they all take a much longer time to smoke fish compared with the metal drum kilns. "Our ancestors have used these since since since," Mr. Kudjuh responded when I asked why they have not adopted the FAO-Thiaroyehttp://www.fao.org/3/a-i4174e.pdf technology to minimize exposure to PAHs. Pointing to what appeared to be an improved Chorkor smoker design that was made for them for free, he added: "this takes forever to smoke the fish. With the metal drum kilns, the fire is direct and much quicker. Those modern designs are only useful for smoking Amane and other small fish." Fish processor leans against a Chorkor smoker/oven. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Fish processors along Ghana's coast frequently use the chorkor oven to smoke Sardinella and other small pelagic. They frequently dismiss me whenever I raise food safety concerns. Fish smoking with traditional kiln in Ghana: Fish processor uses traditional metal drum kiln to smoke fish in Accra, Ghana. This exposed her to several air toxicants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to be carcinogenic to humans. Around 500,000 people are engaged in the processing and marketing of fish in Ghana, the FAO figures show. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantChorkor oven: Two women smoke fish using the chorkor smoker in Accra, Ghana. The chorkor oven is known to expose fish smokers and consumers to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carcinogens linked to skin, lung, and stomach cancers. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant But for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)http://www.fao.org/3/ca4896en/ca4896en.pdf, the use of traditional kilns to process fish in Ghana is a public health issue. The continued use of traditional kilns to process the most important animal protein in Ghana presents adverse impacts on food safety, nutrition, public health, livelihoods and economic development in the country.FAO Fisheries in Ghana: Erick Kudjuh, 59, cuts up yellowfin tuna. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Mr. Kudjuh added: "Our mothers and grandmothers have used this and nothing happened to them. If anyone wants to help us...we want more of the traditional drum kilns over the modern processors!" I have written about this problem with more photographs. Visit the link below to learn more: Related: Fish Processing in Ghana: Trade-offs Between Livelihoods and Health risks Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant