Review of the environment

One of the biggest environmental stories of the year began when dead fish washed ashore along the coast at La Brea in February.

This followed similar events in the same area in previous years and concerns were soon raised that industrial pollution was to blame.

In July, the issue re-emerged when thousands of fish began washing ashore yet again, focused this time in the vicinity of the Mosquito Creek. In response, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) and the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) indicated then that the fish were dumped by fishermen and that the fish, primarily herring, catfish and mullet, bore markings which suggested that the fish had been trapped in nets. However, the group Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) voiced their concerns that exposure to toxic chemicals, namely Corexit from the 2013 oil spill, could be to blame and that a much wider variety of wildlife had been affected, including several other fish species and birds, which implied that dumped by-catch was not to blame.

In the weeks that followed, the sale of fish caught in the Gulf of Paria plummeted, prompting some fishermen to try and soothe the public’s fears by admitting to the practice of by-catch dumping.

Eventually, the government made an attempt to intervene by sending samples of fish caught in different areas of Trinidad to the US Food and Drug Administration for testing. While the results of these tests have not been made available, the FFOS have indicated that they commissioned their own tests, performed by the University of Trinidad and Tobago, which showed that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in several different species of fish in La Brea, at up to 26,000 ppm (with the safe exposure for humans being 0 ppm). To date, the issue has not been satisfactorily resolved.

The FFOS would again make their mark in 2016 when they were granted leave to challenge the 2015 appeal court judgement on the standardised water pollution fee for small and large polluters.

FFOS has contended that polluters should bear the cost of cleaning up their pollution and it was unreasonable for small entities to pay the same fee as larger companies.

Several land use issues also arose during the year. In April, a notice of violation was served by the EMA for the clearing and burning of 19 hectares of land at Las Cuevas by the landowner with both parties reportedly eventually agreeing to follow strict guidelines on how the development should proceed. Not following guidelines, however, was at the heart of 2016’s most contentious land use issue when the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA) issued a request for proposals in August for the construction of a full service hotel at the old missile tracking station in Chaguaramas, in contravention of the 1982 National Physical Development Plan. In an attempt to appease the opponents of the idea, the former chairman of the CDA indicated that the hotel would be an “ecolodge”. Interestingly, following his subsequent resignation, the former chairman noted that “an expression of interest for the development of a project which clearly contravenes the existing permitted land use was published recently, after adamant insistence by the line ministry, despite concerns raised by the board.” (Express 28.08.16).

Another major land use concern relates to the proposal to allow Sandals Resorts to construct an all-inclusive resort at the Golden Grove Estate in Tobago. The estate fringes the Bon Accord Lagoon and is near to the very sensitive Buccoo Reef.

The proposal to build a major roadway from Valencia to Toco gained ground in 2016, driven by the associated plan to construct an inter-island ferry terminal at Toco. The project is still at the design stage but early concerns over the destruction of natural environment along the road route and disturbance of sea-turtles by the ferry service have been raised thus far.

Disturbance of marine life may have also played a part in several of the cetacean strandings reported in 2016. An unknown cetacean came ashore at Maracas Bay in July and during October, a bottlenose dolphin became stuck in the shallow waters at Orange Valley. In November, a melon headed whale was found dead at Damien Bay while in December, a false killer whale became stranded at Grange Bay, Tobago.

According to the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, several recent stranded whales have been found to harbour parasitic trematodes (Nasitrema spp.) which might be a contributing factor in some deaths, along with issues such as offshore seismic testing.

Following the October 2015 Public Consultation on Hunting, the Minister of Agriculture requested the formation of a Hunting Steering Committee to address some of the concerns raised at the consultation.

In September 2016, the first batch of reforms were passed into law. The new laws include greater legal protection for a wider range of birds, including prohibiting the hunting of most of our waterfowl species and as well prohibiting the trapping of wild seedeaters and seed-finches (birds belonging to the family Sporophila and Oryzoborus). The sale of these seedeaters and seed-finches will also now be banned in the closed season. In addition to these changes, the list of “pest” species was also updated with notable changes being the protection of all but two species of bat. Inexplicably, the permits issued for the 2016/17 hunting season did not reflect the applicable sections of the new laws and we would hope that this situation is remedied by the open of the 2017/18 season.

Laws, unfortunately, only offer their protection on paper.

As in previous years, trophy images of protected wildlife, both dead or trapped alive, began circulating on social media soon after the opening of the 2016/17 hunting season.

Photos of poached anteaters/southern tamanduas, crab-eating raccoons, red howler monkeys, pinnate bitterns and even great egrets all generated outrage and calls for prosecution by the authorities. Even the Minister of Agriculture weighed in on the matter, stating that “it is the job of the Forestry Division to get to the facts behind the photos” (Newsday 20.11.16).

Yet there were fewer wildlife related prosecutions reported publicly in 2017 as compared to previous years.

In April, a resident of Mappipire Road, Williamsville, pleaded guilty to the possession of four macaws and one yellow headed parrot and was fined $750 ($150 for each charge). Meanwhile during May, officers of the Blanchisseuse Police Station and the Coastal Patrol conducting routine vehicle searches in Blanchisseuse, discovered a leatherback turtle hatchling in a car. A man and woman were detained in connection with the find.

Nonetheless, the Minister of Agriculture noted in November that the Forestry Division reported that between August-October 2016 they had dealt with over 230 offences, a 50 percent increase over the same period in previous years (ostensibly related to both forestry and wildlife offences).

To bolster the detection and prosecution of wildlife offences, the minister also announced the recruitment of 139 honorary game wardens for the season.

It was also a special year for the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club in which we celebrated the club’s 125th anniversary.

The event was marked by several activities including public events such as our special anniversary display at the National Museum and a biodiversity art competition for the nation’s schools.

With 2017 well underway, we hope that the new year brings with it many positive developments for our islands’ natural environment and resources.

Let us ensure that as much of it as possible remains for years to come.

For more info on our natural environment, you can contact the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club at admin@ttfnc.

org or visit the website at www.ttfnc.org and our Facebook or You- Tube pages.