Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley announced yesterday that Cabinet had approved a $1 million “assistance” for fisherman who have lost earnings as a result of a string of fish kills in the Gulf of Paria.
This is the first time the State has compensated fishermen who are unable to ply their trade due to an environmental disaster.
The payout comes one month after dead fish began to wash ashore in the southwestern peninsular, scaring off customers and contradictory scientific reports on the reason for the fish deaths have crippled fish sales across the country.
The PM stated, however, that if State-owned Petrotrin was found to be liable of any oil leak which contributed to the fish kill they would have to compensate fishermen who were thrown on the breadline in the last few weeks.
Rowley said the problem on the southwest coast had been clearly affected by dead fish which appeared to have been killed in circumstance not yet unconfirmed.
“Dead fish appear on the beach and there is a State agency (Environmental Management Authority) whose job it is to look at it and tell us what happened there.”
On the first fish kill, Rowley said he was told those were fish that were caught in nets and dumped.
“But there was fear of poisoning because of an earlier time because of a product that was used (corexit) to diffuse oil (spill in 2013) and that products were known to have some debilitating effects,” he added.
Rowley said if we accepted that the first fish kill was dumped that should not create any fear in the minds of the public.
However, Rowley said another school of dead fish appeared on the beach and tests conducted were inconclusive.
“Without seeing the documentation myself, I am hearing that it appears to be some connection with some of those dead fish and hydrocarbon. Once we get to that stage that there might be... and we did see also reports of pollutants on the beaches, in one particular area... all is taking place in the same general area.”
Rowley said Petrotrin was the only agency that would be called to account. “If there is in fact oil leak or pollution in the area because if it is determined that Petrotrin activities would have cost any outcome there are legal liabilities in which Petrotrin must discharge and that is where compensation comes in,” he added.
He said they were still trying to determine if the fish were poisoned.
He said Cabinet instructed Finance Minister Colm Imbert “to allocate and find for use $1 million to allow, without prejudice, assistance to those persons who have lost their livelihood as result of what is happening in that particular area. It is not compensation it is assistance.”
Last night, president of the Claxton Bay Fisherman Association, Kishore Boodram, said fishermen should be thankful for what little they would be getting because of the widespread fish kill in the Gulf of Paria.
He said he was hopeful for a meeting with Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat to address their concerns.