EKET – Fishermen in coastal Ibeno Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom, have expressed sadness that the migration of fish deep into the Atlantic Ocean had created scarcity of the product.
The Chairman, Artisan Fishermen in Ibeno, Chief John Etim, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Eket on Sunday that owing to the migration, fishermen could no longer fish in the area.
Etim said that the June 29 oil spill from ExxonMobil’s oil facility in the area had caused the fish to migrate deep into the ocean.
“Before now, we could catch enough fish on the seashore to eat and to sell, but because of the activities of ExxonMobil in the Atlantic Ocean, things are no longer the same.
“Before now, we used to paddle for fishing, but now if you do not have a 40-horse power boat or bigger ones, you cannot go into the deep sea to fish.
“The constant oil spills have driven the fish away from the shore into the far and deep Atlantic Ocean,’’ Etim said.
Etim urged ExxonMobil to pay adequate compensation to the affected fishermen in the state and to thoroughly clean up of the environment.
Reacting to the development, Mr Akaninyene Esiere, the Manager, Public and Government Affairs, Qua Iboe Terminal (QIT), Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN), told NAN that the spill had been cleaned up.
“We activated our emergency response systems and contained the release. All relevant regulatory authorities and the community were notified,’’ he said.
Esiere said that the spill was caused by serious weather conditions and lightning strikes over the area.
He said that at least 12 barrels of crude oil spilled into Mkpanak community during the incident.He, however, said that Mobil was committed to environmentally safe operations in the area. (NAN)