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alexk
Guest
Expect fish prices to increase if State-owned Petrotrin fails to fix a ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Paria.
The well, located approximately 4.5 nautical miles off Orange Valley, Carapichaima, has been spilling oil into the sea since Thursday, posing serious risk to marine operators.
Members of the Orange Valley Pirogue Fishermen’s Association met with yesterday with Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial and expressed concern about the length of time it was taking to stop the spill.
Ramdial said she was told by Petrotrin officials that they did not have the capacity to deal with the blown well, so there was no time frame for the problem to be rectified.
The Opposition MP promised to raise with Minister of Agriculture Clarence Rambharat the matter of compensation for the affected fishermen who may not be able to fish in the area for weeks, or perhaps months.
Christopher John, president of the Orange Valley Pirouge Association, complained that fishermen did not know how to proceed as authorities had not provided further information about the situation.
He said it was uneconomical for fishermen to fish outside of the area because of high fuel costs, engine size and inability to store onboard fuel.
One of the affected fishermen, Tarradath Kissoonsiingh, said his crew ventured to Cedros on Saturday night, but the catch was poor.
He said he spent $600 on fuel and after the catch was sold, there was not enough money made to pay the crew.