Peru’s ‘worst ecological disaster’ slams small-scale fishing

By FRANKLIN BRICEÑO
Associated Press

CIUDAD PACHACUTEC, Perú (AP) — A recent spill of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Peru has had a devastating effect on more than 2,500 small-scale fishermen. January through March is usually a period of intense activity for the anglers. But after the Jan. 15 spill of nearly 12,000 barrels of oil in front of the Repsol refinery, they are finding fewer and fewer fish on their hooks and in their nets. Peru has characterized the spill as its “worst ecological disaster.” A report by United Nations experts estimates that about 2,100 tons of crude spilled. That’s well above the 700 tons the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited considers the threshold for a large spill.