Assessment of the Acceptability of Sewage-cultured Fish Using Bacteriology and Social Responses at Gbalahi

Abstract: This study focused on the suitability of using sewage treatment ponds at Gbalahi, a suburb of Tamale in the northern region of Ghana, to convert residual organic nutrients into quality animal protein through pisciculture. Two tilapia species O. niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) and S. galilaeus (Linne, 1758) was evaluated and compared under identical conditions in hapas installed in five sewage treatments ponds. The microbiological enumeration showed that, total coliform bacteria were in higher levels (600-42000 cfu) than faecal coliform bacteria (64-8400 cfu) in all the ponds. The levels of faecal coliforms compared to the safe level (5000 cfu) set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana, showed that fish from the ponds are safe for human consumption. However many people (44% of a total of 400) rejected sewage cultured fish because of high bacterial presence which could pose health hazards. Majority (60%) of the 1000 respondents would eat fish from sewage ponds even though about 80% of those who would eat sewage cultured fish were poor. The 40% who would not eat sewage-cultured fish were the rich.