Dead fish, washes ashore

YVONNE WEBB

PRESIDENT of the La Brea Fisherfolks Alvin La Borde is claiming sabotage after several species of dead fish and two decomposing pelicans, washed ashore at Carat Shed Beach in La Brea yesterday.

La Borde linked the fish kill with proposals to develop a ship yard and transshipment port from La Brea to Otaheite and a public meeting organised by the Ministry of Energy to discuss industrialisation opportunities in the area. That meeting is planned for tomorrow at the Vessigny High School.

Energy Minister Franklin Khan and former Energy Minister Nicole Olivierre are scheduled to address the audience. Attempts to reach both Khan and Olivierre via their cellphones were not successful.

La Borde said Carat Shed Beach is in the way of this development. He said fisher folks have written, under the Freedom of Information Act (FIA) to get information on meetings held to discuss the proposal but to date has received no response. “They want to get this shoreline to Otaheite,” he charged.

At the Carat Shed beach, where he surveyed dead creatures which cast a silver hue along the shore line as far as the eye could see, La Borde said he believes the presence of the fish and bird carcasses is a straight case of dumping. The fisherman who manages the tourism facility on Carat Beach, said every year for the past couple of years this has been happening and especially around the Lenten season when fish is in demand.

He said once word spreads people would stop buying local fish, especially from the south and desist from visiting the beach facility at Carat Shed. Yesterday only two women, from Gasparillo, were observed in the sea. One of the women said she did not know about the fish kill before she got there and decided to brave it all because she just wanted a sea bath. Fishermen and Friends of the Sea’s (FFOS) Gary Aboud who was on the scene yesterday morning, blamed the fish kill on chemicals used by Petrotrin to clean up an oil spill in the area five years ago.

He said the dead fish had no net marks to indicate they were dumped. However, La Borde challenged this saying, “If there is something in the water, how come it is only from that trawler there (on nearby Coffee Beach) to here you find the dead fish. Somebody trying to sabotage the La Brea Fisherfolks.”

The Environmental Management Authority (EMA) dispatched officers to the beach yesterday morning and they took samples of the water, dead fish and pelican as it continues its investigation. The EMA confirmed dead fishes were observed at both Carat Shed beach and the nearby Point Sable beach.