Oil spill in Ventanilla: Is the consumption of fish and shellfish safe?

On January 15, one of the worst environmental news in the country occurred. Repsol reported that 6,000 barrels of oil fell into the water, harming the flora and fauna of the mighty Sea of ​​Grau.

From that moment, the contingency measures were slowly assumed to avoid further damage and so far it is known that crude oil expanded to Chancay (north boy).

In the middle of summer in Lima, many people wonder if it is appropriate to consume marine resources after the oil spill.

In the face of doubt and questioning, the National Fish Health Agency (Sanipes), attached to Ministry of Production, clarified the measures they have been taking.

Sanipes He pointed out in a statement that the landing points near the spill area (Callao and Ancón) have been inspected in recent days and that they are still undergoing evaluations to consider what can be consumed and what cannot.

Can all species be consumed?

Daniel Cáceres, representative of SOA (Sustainable Ocean Alliance) in Latin America, made it clear that everything will depend on the resource.

“If they are resources like the parrot that is caught on the high seas, there is no problem, with anchovy, horse mackerel, or mackerel. Now, yes there are problems with the cojinova, shellfish, the pintadilla “, commented.

Likewise, the specialist recommended not consuming shellfish from the area of Window, Santa Rosa and Ancon.

Sanipes, through another statement published this Saturday, requested the closure of the extraction of bivalve molluscs in the San Lorenzo (Callao), Palomino (Callao), Isla Grande (Ancón), and La Isleta (Ancón) production areas.

For his part, the fishing engineer Alfredo Armendáriz, a specialist in fishing and nutrition, noted that the artisanal fishermen have suspended their fishing activities, “For which it is unlikely that affected fish will reach the market.”

“The supply of hydrobiological products in Lima is carried out mainly in two wholesale markets located in Villa María and in Ventanilla, both markets are supplied from the ports and coves outside of Lima, so the products that are sold there are free of possible oil contamination, he concluded.

It is recommended to follow the social networks of Sanipes to know in detail what products {and from where- are entering the terminals of Ventanilla, Villa María del Triunfo and more on a daily basis. At the moment, the fishing comes from southern ports such as Pucusana.

It is important that the client always checks that the hydrobiological product is fresh, this can be seen by the color of the gills, the smooth meat and bright eyes.