Fish kill or Fish dump? You decide.

Date: July 21st , 2018

Dear Editor/Newsroom,

According to the IMA in an article published on 6th July 2017 “Fish gulping for air at the surface, would indicate a contaminant was present in the water and that the kill was an ongoing event”. On Friday 20th July Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) once again visited Point Sable Beach in La Brea in response to reports received of dead pelicans washing ashore. FFOS observed and collected samples of living fish without net markings which were washing ashore dying. These living fish were video recorded gulping for air as they died. There is attached video footage of a 3, 4 and 5-pound salmon, as well as several mullet which were still living when FFOS got to them. These were also several commercial species including salmon, sapate, blinch, racando, touret, grunt, moonshine cavali and crab which lay on the beach or in the water. For 5 years ongoing fish mortalities has been concentrated in the Aripero Lagoon in La Brea yet the Authorities have not investigated the cause of the thousands of daily and ongoing dead and dying fish, birds and crustaceans in this localised area. The IMA/EMA have maintained the position that these are dumped fish and have done no further investigation contrary to their own published position that continuous mortalities and gulping fish are indicative of contaminants. FFOS continue to appeal to the Government to stop turning a blind eye on this possible contamination and to thoroughly investigate this human health risk, as fishers and community members are consuming these fish daily. Unless our Government act with transparency our vulnerable seamen will continue to suffer the consequences of the continued mismanagement of our Gulf of Paria fishery.