Nfamara Darboe, principal fisheries officer at the fisheries department, has said that the Gambian waters are not polluted and therefore, its fisheries and other aquatic animals are free from disease pathogen contamination.

He observed that across African sub-region and even beyond, Gambians are bound to consumed fresh and disease free fishes which are even recommended in the international markets. Darboe made these statements yesterday, at his office in Banjul while reacting to a story on the Daily Observer fisheries column about the problems of aquaculture in The Gambia.

According to him, aquaculture development is on track in The Gambia, even though it is not intensively practiced. Over the years, he added, the fisheries department has embarked on numerous sensitisations of potential fish farmers on the importance of aquaculture. Darboe said that there are currently small community interventions through the Special Cooperation for Food Security  (SCFC). "This has shown that there are no fish disease pathogen in The Gambian waters" he maintained.

He further observed that aquaculture can contribute meaningfully in food and income provision for The Gambia, but due to its cost effectiveness, many people are not been practicing it due to the low financial background of the people.