An environmental lawyer in Indonesia says local fishermen are going bankrupt because the Timor Sea oil spill has ruined fish stocks. The West Atlas oil rig spewed hundreds of thousands of litres of oil and gas into the sea for 10 weeks and last week caught fire. It was plugged earlier this week with mud. The Federal Government has been in contact with Indonesian officials and will send an Australian delegation there next week. David Jones, who worked as an environmental lawyer for 10 years before moving to Kupang in West Timor, says he has started taking statements from local fishermen who claim their catch has been affected. “Most of them really can’t afford to go fishing anymore because they’ve been on four trips and they’ve lost money four times,” he said. “Where are they going to get money from again? Because the guy who usually funds them says, ‘well, I’m bankrupt as well’. “I don’t think I’ve found anybody who’s told me they have enough fish to cover costs – everybody’s losing money. “They’ve never done this before. This is the first time ever.” …
Oil spill sends fishermen bankrupt via The Oil Drum
