Tidal waves destroy over 25 canoes near Jamestown Fishing Harbour project

A heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds and high tides on Tuesday, April 23 led to the destruction of approximately 25 canoes near the sea defence built as part of the James Town Fishing Harbor project.

The affected fishermen are now appealing for government assistance to help them recover from this significant loss to their livelihoods.

The incident occurred when heavy rainfall combined with strong winds caused high tides that destroyed over 25 canoes near the sea defence.

The Chief Fisherman of James Town, Nii Armah Wulu, attributed the destruction to the limited space available for the canoes, forcing the fishermen to cluster their vessels closer together.

Due to the cramped space near the harbour, fishermen are unable to maintain a safe distance between their canoes during adverse weather conditions, leading to collisions and subsequent damage.

Samuel Larbi, a fisherman, explained that his canoe was destroyed when high tides caused it to collide with the sea defence.

He expressed concern over the financial burden of repairing or purchasing a new canoe.

“When the high tides occurred, our canoes collided with the sea defence, destroying my canoe. Yesterday when the incident happened, I couldn't even finish half a portion of Banku. This situation has taken a toll on me. Repairing or purchasing a new canoe will cost me a fortune.”

The affected fishermen have been working together to salvage what remains of their damaged canoes and appeal to the government for support.

They are also urging the government to extend the construction of sea defences from the Osikan Beach Resort to connect with those being built as part of the fishing harbour project.

—citinewsroom