No lab chosen for fish kill

“They will provide a list which of course must be whittled down to at least one.” In July, dead fish started appearing along the coast of the Gulf of Paria, and fisherfolk have since suffered a reduction in sales so harsh that their livelihoods were jeopardized at a critical time of the year for parents. Numerous investigations into the causes of the fish kill were conducted, but their apparent conflict did not inspire the public to return to fishing depots to buy fish.

To restore public confidence in the safety of the fish and to get fishermen back on their feet, Minister of Planning and Development, Camille Robinson-Regis, sanctioned the sending of fish samples to an international lab for further testing. But, according to Fontenelle, an international lab has not yet been chosen.

Asked for a time frame for its selection, Fontenelle said that to ensure a thorough process, “that would be based on the recommendations and consultations with PAHO”. He assured that “it is something that the Minister wants post-haste.” On 26 July, EMA chairman, Nadra Nathai-Gyan reportedly said that the chemical Corexit was not found in fish samples they had given to the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute for testing. She denied access to the document, claiming that the EMA’s contract with CARIRI, did not allow for it. As a result of the findings, the dumping of excess fish by fishermen was blamed for the appearance of the thousands of dead fish. Many fishermen admitted to dumping fish themselves.

However, there was one conflicting report. Gary Aboud, Secretary of the Environmental activism group, Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) claimed that the FFOS had CARIRI conduct an independent Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon test into water, fish, and soil samples.

According to this report shown by Aboud to the media, fish samples contained levels of hydrocarbons thousands of times more than the European Union’s benchmark.

Aboud charged the government with trying to cover up the results of the test to avoid a public panic. While the public awaits the results of the tests from the international lab to know whether they can continue buying fish, however, the Ministry of Planning has not yet chosen said lab. This news come days after deposits of oil appeared on the Carat, Coffee and Pointe Sable beaches in La Brea which inspired Alvin La Borde, President of the La Brea Fisherfolk Association, to call for the government to produce the report of the National Environmental Assessment Task Force set up in February of 2014 to assess the environmental impacts of the massive oil spills of 2013.

Interestingly, though La Borde continues to represent fisherfolk from his area, he claims that he stopped fishing after the 2013 oil spills for fear of the fish not being safe to eat. Unlike many other fishermen, La Borde has financial support from his wife and son, but he assured that him and all fishermen “do not want to be giving people contaminated fish.” Asked how he reconciles his stance and his continued support for the fishing industry, La Borde said that any decision needs to happen after the NEATF report is produced. Fontenelle reminded Newsday that “Public Health were sent to the various fishing depots to ensure that the strictest heath measures are met.”