Many Fishermen are Now Turning to Illegal Ways of Making a Living

What’s Next for Our Gulf Fishermen ? The answers may be here.

Timor Fishermen forgotten in oil spill disaster

It has been 15 months since Australia suffered its worst oil spill, but those who were worst affected still have not received any compensation.

An oil rig, owned and operated by an Australian-based company, leaked uncontrollably for 74 days in the Montara oil field off Western Australia.

The spill destroyed fish stocks and seaweed farms in nearby West Timor.

But fishing families in West Timor, who were hoping for compensation, say they are fast giving up hope and many fishermen are now turning to illegal ways of making a living.

West Timorese man Ferdi Tanoni is fed up with both the Indonesian and Australian governments.

He says they have done nothing as his people have suffered.

The Kupang-based businessman says the fish have still not come back after the oil spill, there are no jobs, and families are starving in villages along the coast.

“Heartbreaking,” he said. “They said, ‘Ferdi, we can only pray that one day both governments will listen to you’.”

Last year’s oil rig explosion cost its…Read more…abc.net.au

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To Gulf Oil Spill on Wednesday, November 03, 2010