Page 12 - AT

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 28 october 2019

Brazil oil spill leaves local fishermen in the lurch

By DIANE JEANTET fishermen on just the north-
DAVID BILLER ern third of Bahia's coast,
Associated Press and cited lower sales due
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — to wary consumers.
Holding his breath for 90 Speaking to reporters Fri-
seconds, Arivaldo Sousa day in Pernambuco state,
dives to depths of up to Brazil's tourism minister Mar-
65 feet (20 meters) to haul celo Alvaro Antonio, de-
lobsters from the seafloor clined to comment on the
off Bahia state, one of tens potential health risks of eat-
of thousands of fishermen ing seafood, citing ongoing
who make a living from the analyses of marine fauna
rich waters in one of Brazil's that have yet to be con-
top tourist destinations. cluded.
Now their livelihood is dry- Business at Salvador's fish
ing up. Since the start of market has dwindled, ac-
September, a mysterious cording to Leila Carreiro
oil spill has sullied almost who makes purchases
250 beaches on Brazil's there for her restaurant,
northeastern coast. Globs Dona Mariquita, which
of black crude have been specializes in traditional Ba-
contaminating the coast- hian food. Her shellfish are
line in nine Brazilian states, sourced from local provid-
most recently slithering ers, including oysters from a
southward to Bahia. In this Oct. 23, 2019 photo, researchers from the Bahia Federal University collect material contami- quilombo - a community of
On the outskirts of Salvador, nated by an oil spill in Camacari, Bahia state, Brazil. descendants of escaped
Bahia's capital, Sousa nor- Associated Press slaves - that struggled to
mally harvests 175 pounds scrape out a living even
(80 kilograms) of lobster is overseeing an investiga- teers have rushed to the the specimens last week- before the spill.
per month but has fished tion and has said its primary picture-perfect beaches end and analyzed them in "The restaurant is empty
a mere fraction of that re- hypothesis is that it spilled and pulled on their gloves a laboratory. and it's not just mine; it's
cently, with hotels and res- from a boat navigating off to gather sludge from the 'I had expected that, since the majority of them," Car-
taurants no longer buying Brazil's shore. Brazil's state- sand. The government, too, the beach cleaning by the reiro said. "Suppliers are
for fear of contamination. run oil company deter- deployed thousands of sol- volunteers was rather fast, desperate, calling to ask
Luckily his wife is a teacher, mined the oil originated in diers to help environmental the degree of contamina- if we don't want anything.
but still they've cut all ex- Venezuelan fields; the Ven- agents with the cleanup. tion would be small," Fran- It's stopped. Everything is
travagances. Friends are ezuelan government has But the work on the shores cisco Kelmo, director of the stopped. There's no move-
worse off. denied it is the source of belies the impact beneath university's biology institute ment, no clients. This sea-
"There are people here the spilled oil. the water's surface, which that conducted the survey, son, a few years ago, the
going hungry already, be- Salvador, where Sousa fish- is only starting to be re- said by phone. "This shows house would be full."
cause they have no way es, is Brazil's first capital and vealed. us that these three beach- It's impossible to tell at this
to sell elsewhere, and they considered the center of A survey of three coral reefs es are under intense stress." stage whether the crude
have no way to fish," Sousa Afro-Brazilian culture. Some by the Federal University of Bahia Pesca, the state gov- has stopped washing
said by phone. "It's very sad, of its colonial buildings Bahia found oil in the diges- ernment's fishing promotion ashore or will continue, ac-
our situation is very critical." were built using lime made tive or respiratory systems agency, is nearing conclu- cording to Lucas Costa,
Affected beaches are from mounds of discarded of all 38 marine animals sion of a separate survey of Bahia state's secretary for
scattered across 1,400 seashells. Since crude be- collected, including fish, almost 200 animals, it said agriculture, livestock, irriga-
miles (2,250 kilometers), ac- gan washing up in Brazil's crabs, bivalves and octo- in a statement. It estimates tion, fishing and aquacul-
cording to the Navy, which northeast region, volun- pus. Researchers collected the spill has affected 16,000 ture. q