Residents along Foropa, Sangana axis of the Atlantic
coastline in Bayelsa have reported sighting dead fishes littering the shoreline
amidst safety concerns in the maritime ecosystem
Some of the residents who spoke in reaction say the
development was strange and could be an indication of increasing toxicity of
the Atlantic ocean which could impact residents.
Although there was speculation that there was a leak from
one of the offshore platforms, checks with the operators indicate that none of
the companies has admitted to having an oil leak.
Adi Noel an industry expert said that the incident may
have been triggered by the use of dispersants to clean up operational spills.
Dispersants are toxic chemicals used to break down crude
oil molecules in deep offshore environments far from human settlements.
Michael Owin who resides at Sangana, a coastline settlement
in Bayelsa said that the people have been seeing dead fishes washed and dropped
by the tide on a daily basis for some days.
According to him some unsuspecting people have picked the
dead fishes takig them for ‘stranded’ and eaten them.
“It is not unusual to find fishes dropped at the
coastline after the tide goes down but the number is making us curious to
suspect that the marine ecosystem must be getting much toxic.
“The common fish species here are known to be resilient
and sensitive, one would have expected them to migrate deeper but their death
in numbers may be and indication of crisis,” He said.
Ebi Seigha, a fisherman in Southern Ijaw Local Government
Area said in a telephone chat that the fishing communities were worried at the
development adding that they were concerned about the health safety of the
catch.
Meanwhile, Mr Alagoa Morris, a renowned Environmentalist expressed
concerned and urged the relevant government agencies to take urgent steps to
find out the root cause of the occurrence.
He said that given the location of several oilfields near
the Bayelsa coastline there was need for surveillance to find out if the
incident has links with oil and gas exploration.
“Dead fishes washed
ashore in great numbers are not only a strange occurrence; it points to a very
serious environmental safety related matter.
“Such dead fishes cannot be said to be windfall to be happy
about by residents.
“And, it is believed coastline communities should be not only be
seriously disturbed, but aware of the dangers of consuming such fishes or even
processing and selling to unsuspecting members of the public.
“Just as it has health
implications, it is also a livelihood issue as coastline communities mainly
depend on the sea for the means of livelihood.
“This is why, the
authorities, especially the Federal and State ministries of Environment and oil
industry regulators like DPR and NOSDRA should use their good offices to
initiate actions that would lead to the source of this suspected poisoning of
the aquatic environment experiencing this phenomenon
“And, the earlier this
is done, the better for the general good of all Nigerians,” Morris said.
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