Another ExxonM study warns of impact to fish from degraded water quality

Mar 19, 2025 News

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Kaieteur News- Although the Government of Guyana (GoG) continues to deny that the offshore oil and gas operations are impacting fish catches, another study done by American oil giant, ExxonMobil, has confirmed that marine life, including fish, can be affected by poor water quality as a result of the planned petroleum activities.

In its most recent Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the seventh deepwater development, Exxon’s Consultant, Environmental Resources Management (ERM), details the impacts on fish and other marine species.

The impact of the oil and gas sector on the fishing industry has been widely debated, with fisherfolk complaining of reduced catches since 2019, government denying that the petroleum sector is responsible, and Exxon’s clear warnings in these documents.

According to the new EIA for the Hammerhead project, “The project might affect marine fish due to the degradation of water quality as a result of the permitted vessel discharges described above, through acoustic impacts, through localized changes in distribution, and habitat usage due to altered bottom habitats and the presence of Project infrastructure, through attraction to artificial light, and through the potential to entrain (suck in) fish eggs and larvae at cooling water intakes.”

Discharge from the project includes ballast water, produced water (which, according to the study, may contain oil, grease, and other chemicals), domestic and sanitary waste (containing chlorine and bacteria), as well as bilge water (which may also contain oil and grease). These discharges are expected to be treated by ExxonMobil to meet certain standards, prior to being discharged overboard.

According to the document, modeling conducted by ExxonMobil’s consultant found that water quality will return to “near-background conditions” within 100 meters of the Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO). Consequently, it suggested that the affected area will be very small. Additionally, ERM claimed that fish are mobile and are known to avoid areas with degraded water quality.

Notably, the study goes on to highlight the socio-economic impacts on fisherfolk. It states, “Impacts on fishing livelihoods may arise due to increased vessel traffic and/or exclusion zones in the nearshore area, which is expected to have a potential minor impact on artisanal fisherfolk and negligible impact on industrial fishing operators.”

Kaieteur News understands that industrial fishing vessels offshore will lose access to some fishing areas that are currently available and will have to avoid project-related vessel traffic where none currently exist.

Additionally, Exxon explained that artisanal fishing occurs well inshore of the Project Development Area (PDA); as such, there will be no loss of access for artisanal fishing. However, fishing vessels could experience interference due to movements of vessel traffic related to the project. Exxon was keen to note that while notices to mariners will be provided to mitigate potential interference with industrial and artisanal fishing vessel navigation, there are limitations- particularly for artisanal vessels- to the effectiveness of these notices.

Gov’t denies

In a statement to the media on Monday, the Ministry of Natural Resources responded to comments by the Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall, who spoke about the impacts on the local fishing industry from the ongoing oil operations.

Lall, on his Friday radio programme, aired on 99.1 and 99.5 FM, told listeners, “Today, fishermen are going out for days and can’t even catch enough fish to pay for the ice, much less the gasoline. So, we now importing fish from Jamaica and other countries that only the rich and powerful can afford, with no compensation from ExxonMobil.”

Government, however, noted that Guyana’s fishing industry expanded by 1% in 2024. “While fish production faced minor contractions (-2.2%), marine shrimp production grew by 8.5%, and aquaculture production expanded by 13.7%, with brackish water shrimp production increasing by 19.1%,” according to the Ministry.

With local fishers complaining of lower catches and reduced fish quality in some instances, the GoG rolled out a marine aquaculture project that sees fish being reared in an advanced way. Several cages were deployed at various locations across the country to nurture specific species of fish. Additionally, fish ponds were developed in the Berbice area for rearing brackish water shrimp and other species of fish. The initiative has been touted a success by government, with increased production recorded. However, this does not quiet the concerns of several fishers who continue to face hardships to provide for their families.

(Another ExxonM study warns of impact to fish from degraded water quality)

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• catches, ERM, ExxonMobil, fish, fisherfolk, Hammerhead

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