The cause of the deaths of several birds at Point Sable Beach, La Brea, is still not known as the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has no conclusive results from previous years’ incidents.
EMA managing director Hayden Romano acknowledged the recurrence of the issue over the years and said tests were carried out on the animal were not conclusive.
“I mean there were no strange compounds in the animals to say they were poisoned or anything,” he told Guardian Media.
Noting EMA concerns about this phenomena, Romano said: “There are so many different reports we get because of how these incidents happen. It always seems around this time of year and a number of birds. We really don’t want to be guessing. I mean we’d really like to know what is the cause.”
Members of Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) suggested the deaths of the birds could be linked to an oil spill which occurred in the area in 2013.
In the past, the FFOS has raised concerns over the quality of water in the Gulf of Paria.
FFOS programme director Lisa Premchand expressed concern for human safety, asking: “If pelicans are eating the fish in this area and are dying, what would happen to humans that are eating the fish daily from the Gulf?”
However, Romano said the EMA has been conducting an ecological survey which is expected to be completed in the next six months.
“From Point-a-Pierre to Icacos we’re doing quite a lot of testing and when those results come in, it would be interesting to see what it would say,” he said.
This assessment consists of various sample sites “nearshore and offshore”.
Last week, photos circulated on social media of dead pelicans in various stages of decomposition. The post claimed the number of dead birds was close to 100, while FFOS members claimed to have seen just over 40 carcasses during their visit and the EMA managing director said they found about a dozen.
Of the dozen found by the EMA, Romano said only one was viable for a necropsy and was sent for tests. While he hopes the test would reveal a hint as to the cause of death in these animals, he is not optimistic because one sample does not give a “conclusive result.”
According to information provided to Guardian Media by the EMA its Complaints Database show reports of dead pelicans were made to the EMA in January/ February 2017, February 2018 and the most recently last weekend. It also noted that dead pelicans “have always been observed in varying degrees of decomposition within La Brea”.