Fisheries Critical Features and Conservation Significance

3.7.2 Fisheries

No fishing activity was observed at main village beach at the time of visit. The Miamia beach is sandy and about 20 canoes were enumerated at the beach. According to the Chief-fisherman, the major fishing practice is ‘watsa’ purse seine fishing and the main group of fish species landed was the sardinellas. At the eastern side of the village, about 5 kilometers away, the beach is rocky. Here, four fishers were observed fishing with cast-net made from mono-filament, a net type that is proscribed for use in marine waters. One of these fishers caught about 100 individuals of Mugil cephalus in one throw see Appendix 12. This is indicative of high abundance of fish in the waters. The fin and shell fish species encountered are listed in Appendix 12.

3.7.3 Critical Features and Conservation Significance

The Miamia site host unique rocky shore fauna that may present high biodiversity value ecologically and economically. The calm and relatively clear water due to its sheltered nature from the waves support the unique rocky shore fauna. The area present high scientific interest and could be conservedmanaged to protect its rich fauna. Due to its semblance of a bay, the habitat may suffer significantly from any human disturbance such as oil spill or climate change. This is because the resident time for any pollutant will be high and will increase the severity of the disturbance. 56 3.8 Kpani-Nyila Kpani-Nyila estuary is formed by the two rivers of Kpani and Nyila in the Ahanta West District, which empties its content into the sea via a breached sand bar Appendix 6. The fringes of the water body consist of healthy mangroves. The main activities observed on the lagoon were transportation of humans from one end of the lagoon to another. The rivers are usually separated from the sea by approximately 40 m sand bar. East of the mouth of the estuary, there are few rocky outcrops interspersed with sand Figure 15. Further east of the Kpani-Nyila, there is a cemetery covered by coastal vegetation including coconut and cactus. Figure 15. Left Kpani-Nyila Estuary. Right Adjacent rocky beach right. 3.8.1 Water quality The physico-chemical and bacteriological conditions in the Kpani and Nyila estuaries were generally within water quality standards Appendix 9. Unlike the other studied sites, there was no E. coli found in these estuaries during the sampling period. However, the concentrations of Cu, Zn and Fe are of concern as they exceeded the WHO recommended limits for aquatic life. Hg, As, Cd and Pb levels were not detected.

3.8.2 Biodiversity