For Calamasur, the operation should not be allowed to restart its activities until it is guaranteed that it will not repeat damage

Oil spill in Ventanilla: more than 1,500 artisanal fishermen would be affected

PERU
Saturday, January 22, 2022, 22:00 (GMT + 9)

The real impact of the spill will only be known in a few weeks, warned Alfonso Miranda, president of Calamasur.

The Committee for the Sustainable Management of the Giant Squid of the South Pacific (Calamasur) anticipates that more than 1,500 artisanal fishermen and their families would be the first directly affected by the oil spill that occurred in Ventanilla.

The president of the organization that brings together industrialists, artisanal fishermen and representatives of the academy, Alfonso Miranda Eyzaguirre, said that there is economic damage for those families who live day by day from their artisanal fishing activities and that the impact will be seen for several years.

“We see with great concern what happened, it is probably in the marine environment, the most serious accident recorded. Although the full magnitude of its impact cannot yet be determined, it is clear that it is not a slight spill, nor is it just an incident, it is a serious problem,” he told Andina.

Likewise, he indicated that in this type of accident the real impact of the spill will only be known in a few weeks. "We only hope that its effects are not permanent in the way of livelihood of the fishermen who are in those 15 kilometers of the affected beaches," he added.

Responsibility

The president of Calamasur clarified that in addition to artisanal fishermen there are also other economic activities affected by the oil spill such as tourism and other recreational activities that are sources of employment.

"There must be the necessary mechanisms to guarantee compensation for the duration of the disqualification of this area for fishing, aquaculture and recreational activities," he commented.

Regarding the contingency plans that must be had for these cases, he said that the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Ministry of the Environment must explain what the plans of the La Pampilla refinery consisted of in order to have their operations approved.

"Especially considering that it is a high-risk activity in such a sensitive area," he mentioned.

Along these lines, he stressed that as long as it cannot be guaranteed that an operation will not repeat the damage caused to the ecosystem, it should not be allowed to restart its activities.

Source: Andina (translated from original in Spanish)

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