“If we continue like this, in 2030 we will have nothing but salty water full of petroleum and oil,” said Domingo Medina, a fisherman from Punta Cardón, the community that borders the Cardón refinery that is part of the Paraguaná Refining Complex, the largest in Venezuela.
By La Patilla
Apr 17, 2023
Medina refers to the constant oil and gas spills that are registered in the Golfete de Coro, and that have increased since 2020, causing great damage to the marine ecosystem, because although Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) repairs the leaks it never applies sanitation measures in any part of the coast after the spills.
The fishermen denounced that the underwater pipeline has already completed its useful life and holes appear due to its poor condition. In addition, the same fishermen are the ones who notice when there is a spill and report it to PDVSA with videos they record on the spot.
Later they send divers and fishermen from the area, whom they hire to repair the pipeline. They put a stopper on it and sandbags on top of it, then they make a new tour to verify that the break has been sealed.
These last two spills were sighted last Thursday, April 13th, and since then they have reported it to the authorities. However, until this Monday, April 17th, the repairs had not been carried out and the crude oil covered several nautical miles. The hydrocarbon was already cold and forming balls, which means that it would sink to the bottom of the sea.
The concern of the fishermen is that this is a problem that has worsened and that it has already affected the production of the coast. They have lost shrimp and lobster hatcheries, there are also no fish in medium and deep waters caused by pollution.
The Golfete de Coro is full of coastal wetlands that are a refuge for migratory birds that travel the world and that come to the “caños” to rest and feed on marine biodiversity, which is severely compromised by constant oil and fuel spills.
The fishermen of Paraguaná, mainly those of Tacuato, Tiguadare and Punta Cardón, must migrate to other areas of the region to fish, mainly Zazárida and Cabo San Román.
Another drawback is gasoline, since the Nicolás Maduro regime only gives them 120 liters per boat per week, and in exchange for this they must deliver 12 kilos of fish, but many times they return with empty baskets. This fuel is only enough for a day of fishing, while the rest of the week they must manage to fish without fuel.
This problem has been exposed to PDVSA and the Ministry of the Environment. In July 2022, in Punta Cardón there was a meeting with all those involved and these problems were raised, but to date they have not received any response.
Medina explained that there are also many boats damaged due to lack of maintenance, because what they generate is barely enough for the daily sustenance of their families. Many times the children of fishermen go to bed without food, because there is nothing to give them.
“There are families that have lost their “chinchorros” (artisanal nets), and the boats arrive stained with oil. We no longer know what to do, because no one gives us any answers,” he concluded.
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Read More: La Patilla – PDVSA “repairs” crude oil spills in the Paraguaná submarine pipeline with sandbags
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