Source: https://tt.loopnews.com/content/ema-investigating-oil-spill-gulf-paria
Yep, the rumours are true. There’s been ANOTHER oil spill in the Gulf of Paria. On Sunday 8th August, 2021, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) said it was notified by Paria Fuel Trading Company Limited that there were "streaks of oil in the Guaracara River resulting from a leaking line that caused crude oil to enter the river."
Before we further discuss that recent disaster, let’s establish what an oil spill is and why it’s such a big deal.
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, which is usually the marine ecosystem. It is a terrible form of pollution that is directly linked to human activity.
Oil spills can have serious negative environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Marine and coastal habitats, wildlife species, recreational activities and fisheries, are among the resources and sectors that can be negatively affected by oil spills. The oil harms the wildlife in two main ways; through toxic contamination (inhalation or ingestion) or by physical contact.
Sea birds spend much of their time on or near bodies of water. This makes them vulnerable to oil spills and they can suffer from hypothermia because the oil destroys the structure of their protective layer of feathers and insulating down. They can also fall victim to drowning due to their increased weight when oil covers their bodies; poisoning through ingestion or inhalation; and loss of flight, which could affect their reproductive capacity.
Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/how-is-wildlife-doing-now--ten-years-after-the-deepwater-horizon
Marine mammals, including manatees, dolphins, porpoises, and whales are also very vulnerable to oil spills because of their amphibious habits and their dependence on air. The consequences of exposure to oil may include hypothermia, poisoning from ingestion of oil, congested lungs and damaged airways and gastrointestinal ulceration and haemorrhaging.
Source: https://www.ecowatch.com/oil-spills-food-web-2457924235.html
Fish can absorb oil that is dissolved in water though their gills, accumulating it within the liver, stomach, and gall bladder. Although they are able to cleanse themselves of contaminants within weeks of exposure, there may be a period when they are unfit for human consumption.
Source: https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/how-oil-spills-affect-fish-and-whales.html
Sea turtles can be affected when oil enters their eyes and damages airways and/or lungs; from poisoning by absorption through the skin; through the ingestion of contaminated food; and from contamination of the nesting sites, eggs and newly hatched turtles.
Source: https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-bp-oil-spill
Oil spills also affect the coastal environment and habitats. Coral reefs and the marine organisms, in particular juvenile organisms that live within and around the reefs are at risk from exposure to the toxic substances within oil as well as from smothering. At beaches, oil can soak into sand and gravel. Coating on the roots of mangrove trees can kill the trees and marsh grasses, and seagrasses are also affected.
Negative socio-economic impacts include decreased tourism and the closure of recreational, fishing and shellfish areas. Boats and fishing gear may be damaged and human health can also be affected through direct contact or inhalation of the oil or by eating contaminated seafood.
Notably, it may take several years or even decades before an area or ecosystem has fully recovered from a major oil spill.
Now let’s return to our discussion on the recent oil spill, which we can now contextualize as a marine disaster. I was shocked to learn that only a few persons I spoke to were knowledgeable of this event, so I looked for headlines and news articles online. To my surprise, I found very few.
I would argue that it is primarily through the excellent work of Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS), specifically Mr. Garry Aboud (the FFOS Corporate Secretary) that this oil spill has gained some form of publicity.
According to international non-profit organization SkyTruth, satellite imagery captured evidence of an oil spill occurring since Thursday 5th August 2021, which was not made public. Paria Fuel Trading had only made public that an “oil sheen along the Point-a-Pierre Harbour” was first observed at 7:30pm on Saturday 7th August 2021.
Both SkyTruth and FFOS could not confirm if the August 5th oil spill was the same hydrocarbon spill that was made public on 8th August, or if it was a separate event. However, based on the satellite imagery it appears that there were a series of oil spills emanating from Paria Fuel Trading Facility at Point-a-Pierre.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/SkyTruth/photos/pcb.6021670044540638/6021669331207376
In response to the spill that was made public on August 8th, Paria Fuel Trading Company Limited released a statement on Monday 9th August 2021 that “The spill is contained, and a residual clean-up is ongoing.”.
However, Garry Aboud, in videos he posted to social media, showed that the oil in the Gulf was “a massive, massive amount of oil” which had a consistency he described to be “thick like porridge” as he scooped up handfuls and showed the extent of the spill, which he said stretched for miles.
Source: https://trinidadexpress.com/newsextra/alarm-over-spill-into-the-gulf-of-paria/article_ace62264-f913-11eb-a30f-87a7f9e57526.html
Even more upsetting is the fact that Aboud has video evidence that Paria Fuel Trading Company Limited did not use the recommended practice to contain the oil like they reported.
The company said that absorbent booms, which are floating physical barriers which contain oil in watercourses during spills, had been strategically placed to prevent further migration of oil into the sea, and that vacuum trucks were removing oil collected on land while oil streaks at sea were being “mechanically broken up”.
However, Lisa Premchand, programme director of FFOS, said that there was no evidence to show the company was using booms to contain the spill. “Through our drone imagery, there were no booms in the Gulf of Paria around this spill to contain the oil from spreading even further.”
In response to the oil being broken up, Aboud and other FFOS members who were out at sea observing the event stated, “Breaking up the large globs into smaller globs might be less offensive to the eye but it’s equally offensive to us. When you break the oil up, it sinks and goes to the ocean bed, where it will continue to degrade and get into the food chain.”
“It takes years and years for oil to degrade,” said Premchard. “There is a buildup of chemicals in our water. Our gulf is becoming more polluted over time with the increase in intensity of oil spills.”
Source: https://www.facebook.com/100011803891670/videos/578768573284831
Source: https://www.facebook.com/100011803891670/videos/578768573284831
At the time of writing this article (Sunday 15th August 2021), which is more than a week after the spill, Aboud uploaded video footage to social media of FFOS members and specially trained volunteers cleaning oil-soaked pelicans.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/photofbid=1117568165313303&set=pcb.1117568241979962
The Gulf of Paria is one of the most biodiverse regions in Trinidad and Tobago, accounting for more than 60% of all fishing activity. As such, the impact of oil spills on the fishing industry in the area is dire.
A Ministry of Agriculture report in 1992 found an estimated 40,000 people depend on the fishing industry directly or indirectly as their main source of income. Additionally, if crude oil gets on fishing nets, which cost about £4,000 each, it renders them useless and this comes at a great cost to the fishermen who use them.
A freedom of information request carried out in April by FFOS revealed there have been 498 reported oil spills on land and at sea since the beginning of 2018. Multimillion-dollar companies like Paria Fuel Trading Company Limited must be held accountable for their actions, as they have far-reaching consequences on the ecosystems, marine life, economic activity and livelihoods.
For updates on this issue, you can check out the Fishermen and Friends of the Sea Facebook page and if you would like to contribute items needed to facilitate the rehabilitation of the oiled seabirds, you can reach out to the Wildlife and Environmental Protection of Trinidad and Tobago – WEPTT.
Typically during the cleanup of oiled animals they use:
- Baby oil
- Dawn
- Hand towel rolls
- Normal Q tips
- Large Q tips
- Degreasers
- Old large towels (clean)
- Plastic folding tables and a large deep washing sink
Other than that, monetary donations go towards medical supplies and fish.
If you’d like to donate, this is the relevant information-
Bank account number: 0077 0000 8797
JMMB Trinidad and Tobago Limited
For any donations or questions please contact Shiva at 1(868) 497–3373.
Sources