The Tribune

SAVE The Bays yesterday praised the government for taking action after the latest oil spill in the Clifton area, but lamented that it took a crisis to give rise to a wake-up call.

“Respective governments have been given warning time and time again of oil leaks in Clifton Bay,” said Save The Bays CEO Lindsey McCoy. “Those leaks have gotten increasingly worse and in recent months have erupted into oil spills covering vast areas of Clifton Bay, one of the most valuable marine environments in the Bahamas, a place that draws hundreds, if not thousands from all over the world, to dive its reefs every year. Now, those reefs are in danger of being smothered and divers are coming up with their wet suits and gear covered with a greasy coating that is like something from a bad movie.”

In a day when photos of the conditions can be e-mailed, texted and tweeted around the globe in seconds, the reputation of the country is at stake, she added.

“We applaud government for calling in consultants immediately, though we also believe that there are Bahamian firms perfectly capable of assessing the damage and preparing a mitigation and action plan,” said Ms McCoy. “But why did it have to take such a catastrophe to create a wake-up call? This alarm has been sounded for years and just like climate change, it falls on deaf ears until it becomes so dramatic that there is no longer a way to avoid dealing with it.”

The environmentalist said the oil slick calls attention to the ongoing cry for a Freedom of Information Act and she urged government to share the findings from government consultants.

For Stuart Cove, who runs one of the largest and most photographed and televised dive operations in the region, the oil slicks have been a disaster.

“A large part of the thick oil slick gets trapped by our marina,” he said. “Many of our ropes and fenders are saturated by this tarry substance. All our boats have a tremendous amount of it on their hulls. Many of the fish have died and floated to the surface. All the while hundreds of visitors to our country with mobile phones have witnessed it. Many of the staff are suffering from upper respiratory illness from the toxic fumes. Who is going to pay for the damage? Government will not admit even though we have multiple images and video of it coming from the BEC water outfalls,” he said.

According to environmental activist Sam Duncombe, founder of reEarth and a director of Save The Bays, there have been reports of oil leaking into the bay for years without any answers provided to the public.

The government has brought in a team of American experts to assess the oil leak, mitigate against further damage and remediate it.

Environment Minister Ken Dorsett has said the government is focused on containing the oil and finding ways to stop the long-standing problem.

The latest oil leak was discovered last Wednesday, Mr Dorsett said.