BENIN CITY – The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Tourism Development, Bayelsa State Government, Mr. Tamaramiebi
Abiri has called for proper management of Oxbow Lake to boost the tourism potential of the state.
Making this call in an online chat group with media practitioners over the weekend, Abiri insisted that the lake had great potentials for aquaculture cultivation especially for the growth of fish species such as largemouth bass, channel catfish, and hybrid bream, in addition for the recreational opportunities which abound in the lake.
Lamenting over what he termed as the present uncoordinated commercial activities and marine dredging taking place at the Lake Resort located within Yenagoa, the state capital, which affect flora and fauna, coupled with the attendant negative effect on unsustainable activities in and around the Lake, he reiterated that the lake is a great ecological asset to the state which can be transformed to a seafood hub and blue tourism zone where commercial fishing can take place, with proper management.
He stated, “A good fishing lake has to be deliberately stocked with fish species of choice and be continually maintained, fish removed or harvested at appropriate rates.
“Most lake owners do not understand the fundamentals of lake management. Such lakes end up being unproductive.”
With a pedigree in international tourism and hospitality management, backed by private sector experience in tourism management, Abiri enlightened that the first step towards effective recreational lake management is the decision on the most appropriate aqua culture and facilities that suit recreation and desirability of the lake to aid transformation either into ponds for fishing, swimming, wildlife attraction, and aesthetics.
However, he noted that it is usually difficult to combine all these recreational activities at the same scale, hence the need to specify what exactly the lake should be used for inline with global best practices in lake management.
He also sued for the presence of life savers (Divers, Red Cross, Marine police and lifeguards) as they play key roles at ensuring safety.
Experts say, entrainment, habitat degradation, noise, contaminant remobilization, suspended sediments, and sedimentation can affect benthic, epibenthic, and infaunal communities, which may impact marine mammals indirectly through changes to prey. Eggs and larvae are at highest risk from entrainment, so dredging in spawning areas can be detrimental.
