Fishermen unaffected by oil spill

President of the La Brea Fisherfolk Association Alvin La Borde said yesterday there was no oil at the beaches in La Brea.

“It have no oil in La Brea. God is good to the people who look up to Him, there is no oil in La Brea,” he said.

Coffee Beach fisherman Gopaul Balkissoon and Oropouche fishermen Eversley Sookram and Avinash Battoo also confirmed there was no oil in the waters where they fished.

President of the Claxton Bay Fishing Association Kishore Boodram said there were no signs of oil where they were located but said given the wind pattern, he expects there would be oil further out to sea.

He said he was awaiting reports from trawlers but noted that there was a decline in the number of pelicans seen on the shoreline in the Claxton Bay area.

In a release yesterday, Petrotrin said there was significant progress in its recovery and clean-up activities both on land at the port area at Pointe-a-Pierre. The statement said the company was working with the Energy Ministry and the regulatory authorities.

“Whenever aerial and marine surveys revealed patches of spilled material, vessels have been quickly dispatched to treat with them using materials approved by the Ministry.

Aerial surveys conducted both on Friday and yet again today (Sunday) reveal that there are no new sightings of oil outside of that contained by the booms,” Petrotrin said.

“However, one such patch of hydrocarbon material that was close to the border has since entered into Venezuelan waters,” the release noted.