Traditional fishermen in despair over Peru oil spill caused by Tonga volcano
- They are demanding compensation from Spanish energy giant Repsol for the spill that occurred as freak waves hit a tanker owned by the company
- Hundreds fear their livelihoods are ruined and are asking, ‘How will we live now? We’ve lost our source of work and we do not know when this will end’
Hundreds of traditional fisherman living just outside the Peruvian capital fear their livelihoods are ruined following an oil spill caused by a volcanic eruption thousands of miles away.
Authorities called the spill, caused by an eruption on the other side of the Pacific near Tonga, the worst ecological disaster in Lima in recent times.
Traditional fisherman in Ventanilla, a district to the north of Lima’s port in Callao, on Wednesday protested outside the gates of the Pampilla Refinery owned by Spanish energy giant Repsol, demanding compensation for the spill that occurred as freak waves hit a tanker during offloading on Saturday.
“How will we live now? That’s our worry,” Miguel Angell Nunez, who led the protest, said. “We’ve lost our source of work and we do not know when this will end. We want them to recognise the damage. The spill was caused by (Repsol’s) negligence.”
It is an area teeming with sole, lorna drum and Peruvian grunt, commonly used in the local delicacy ceviche, a marinated raw fish dish that Peru is famous for. Traditional fishermen use small scale, low technology, low capital practices, mostly from the beach or rocks. The few that own small boats only travel short distances along the shoreline.
