Declining fish sales over the past few weeks have left Cedros fishermen and their families reeling as they struggle to find ways to support themselves.
For decades, residents in the quiet seaside village of Cedros have made their living by catching and selling fish. The fishermen say following recent statements by Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) president Gary Aboud about fish in the Gulf of Paria being unsafe for human consumption, sales have dried up completely.
At a press conference at the Cedros Community Centre yesterday, president of the Bamboo/Bonified Fishing Association, Anthony Ganness said: "This is an emergency, it's an SOS. What we are seeing now is widespread poverty. To use a stronger word, sufferation has started amongst the fishermen because we are unable to feed our families.
"Ever since that statement was released, our catch is not being purchased. What can we do? Our goods are perishable once taken out of the water and the lifeline of our community depends on what we take out of these waters."
Ganness said there has been a noticeable lack of government intervention in the area.
"We sit here this morning and it is sad, where is our Member of Parliament? Where is our local government representative? Where is our Agriculture Minister? No one has come to see what is really happening in Cedros, how are these people really making out from day-to-day. We are on the brink of a new school term opening, how are these people managing? Where are the social services?"
Ganness called on the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (Cariri) to reveal the parameters of their testing and questioned the credibility of results released by FFOS.
"I have no faith in some of these testing," he said. "What are their sources for testing? Who are the people doing the testing? Where did they take the sample of the fish from?"
Public relations officer of Cedros Fisherfolk United Dr Raphael Sebastian wants Carrir officials to come to Cedros to test live fishes.
"Let the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) come to Cedros and do their tests as well," he said.