1,337 cartons of rotten fish seized, destroyed in Kribi.

The huge consignment of fish is said to have been seized on June 16. Officials of the port are said to have expressed misgivings following the pungent ordour that emanated from the cartons that were being offloaded.

Without any waste of time, the officials are said to have notified competent authorities, particularly representatives of the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry, who confirmed that the protein could be dangerous for consumption.

Besides the uncomfortable smell, the livestock ministry officials are said to have further discovered that the fish had a strange colour. They are said to have ordered that the fish be destroyed.

The consignment is said to have been carried to a dumping site, in a place known as Mpangou and destroyed. 

Unfortunately, sources hold that while the authorities were battling to dispose of the fish of doubtful quality, some locals were rather struggling to escape with some of the rotten fish to their homes!

In the meantime, administrative and health authorities in Kribi, are said to have gone down to work to ensure that the fish, which had been declared unfit for consumption, does not enter the local market.

The development in Kribi is coming at a time the Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, is still battling to solve a quarrel between major fish importer, Congelcam and the Douala Container Terminal, RTC, over at least 600 refrigerated containers loaded with fish.

The battle is said to have sparked in May when the fish was blocked at the port. The situation is said to have dragged on with some of the containers reported having not been properly connected to electricity, thereby resulting in some of the fish getting bad.

Minister Luc Magloire had days ago sent a mixed team comprising his collaborators, representatives of RTC, customs, ministry of livestock, Congelcam and security officials to assess the state of the containers  and the fish therein before establishing responsibilities.