© Trevor WatsonDead fishes seen floating along the Gulf of Paria coast near Mosquito Creek in La Romaine on Wednesday.
And local fishermen are demanding a thorough investigation into what caused the marine life to die.
Residents said dead fish, including mullet and herring, were seen among the rocks and on the coastline on Tuesday night.
But by daybreak yesterday, thousands of fish were seen floating in the waters off the Gulf of Paria.
Fisherman Alvin La Borde said, "I received a call this morning that thousands of dead fish were in the waters off Mosquito Creek. This is nothing new, we have been experiencing this in La Brea and other areas in the south western peninsular for the past three years."
La Borde said samples were taken by the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) and Environmental Management Authority (EMA) to determine the cause of the fish kill. "But to date we have not been told what is causing this. At one time they said fishermen from Claxton Bay were discarding fish in the water and it was making its way towards La Brea. But whether this is true or not the IMA and EMA are supposed to tell us what the samples proved," he said.
La Borde said fishermen operating in the Gulf of Paria were concerned that the fish were contaminated and questioned whether it safe for consumption.
He said fishermen were calling for an independent investigation into the fish kill.
Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS)
Gary Aboud, president of Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS), said he was not convinced that the dead marine life which washed ashore at Mosquito Creek yesterday were fish that were discarded.
He blamed the fish kill on the 2013 oil spill and the chemicals used by State-owned Petrotrin to mop up the waters off the Gulf of Paria.
Aboud said since the oil spill, dead fish have been washing ashore almost daily.
He said, "We have highlighted that everyday fish continue to wash ashore - sick, dying or dead. We have never had a day which we have not had fish washing up dead."
He said pelican, corbeaux, dolphins and other creatures have been found dead on the beaches in the south western peninsular.
"These kinds of creatures never wash up dead and all of a sudden literally everyday we have a variety of fish. We have found at least 12 dead dolphins in La Brea. Some of the fishermen have claimed and the IMA, without any type of serious investigation, without any samples taken, have claimed the most superficial explanation that fishermen are discarding fish. But we have found pelican birds, that are sick, could hardly stand, fish flapping on the water. These are not fish that are being discarded, these are fish that are being poisoned in one specific geographic area in Trinidad and Tobago," he said.
Aboud said the Corexit, an oil dispersant used in the oil spill response operations, was deadly and called on President Anthony Carmona and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to intervene.
He said the contaminated area should be cordoned off until an investigation was completed.
Aboud said the contaminated fish were being sold to consumers, creating a serious health risk.
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