THE National Fisheries Authority (NFA) made it clear Sunday that only UC Rusal (Windalco) has been issued a permit to restock the Rio Cobre with no more than 30,000 tilapia seed stock (fry and fingerling) at multiple locations within the watershed and that only Windalco and the competent authorities have been involved in the restocking.

“The request for restocking of the river, which was initiated by the community, was deemed important enough for consideration; however, the authority sought to ensure that this was guided by science,” said the NFA. The restocking process, it added, was guided by extensive consultation with the community, the NFA’s technical staff, National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), and Windalco.

The statement by the authority comes two days after the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) said it had fulfilled its promise to restock the Rio Cobre with fingerlings, “following a devastating incident of a toxic effluent spill and fish kill last year”.

According to the PNP, in collaboration with Donnie Bunting, a prominent fish farmer, 3,000 Rocky Mountain white fingerlings, which were supplied at the request of party President Mark Golding, were released into the Rio Cobre, marking a significant step towards the restoration of the river’s aquatic population. Bunting, the PNP said, confirmed that an additional 17,000 fingerlings under this arrangement will be deposited into the river in the coming months, gradually revitalising its biodiversity.

Sunday’s statement by the Fisheries Authority said a condition of the permit to Windalco was that an environmental freshwater expert be engaged to undertake environmental assessments prior to, during, and after the restocking activity. This environmental expert was engaged by Windalco and carried out extensive research prior to the commencement of the restocking activity.

“On June 30, 2023, in excess of 8,000 tilapia seed stock were introduced to the Rio Cobre; over 4,000 seed stock were introduced in the vicinity of Flat Bridge; and over 4,000 seed stock were introduced at the Rio Pedro tributary in the vicinity of the Bog Walk bridge. In both instances, the variety of tilapia introduced was black perch, red tilapia, and rocky mountain. The selection of these initial sites was guided by the recommendation of the freshwater expert based on the ecological assessment carried out.

“The authority also wishes to highlight that fish at the fingerling stage will reach maturity within four to six months, while the younger fry will reach maturity in eight to 10 months. This means that by December the fishing community will be able to harvest fish from the restocked population,” said the authority.

It added that the release of seed stock at other locations will be guided by and based on ecological assessment of the aquatic environment. This assessment includes analysis of the water quality as well as the composition, abundance, and diversity of the fauna (invertebrates and fish) and flora, which will provide a fulsome view of the health of the river and the capacity of potential sites to receive introduced fish.

Golding said Friday that the PNP did not waiver in his commitment to restoring the ecological balance of the Rio Cobre through the restocking initiative despite experiencing delays due to the authorisation process from NEPA and other relevant authorities.

He added, “The PNP acknowledges reports indicating that Windalco purchased red tilapia hybrid fingerlings from Donnie Bunting which were also released into the Rio Cobre today [Friday]. Their contribution to this collective effort is appropriate to help to restore the river’s ecosystem.”

And in a release yesterday, the PNP said fish farmer Bunting said his involvement began with a request from Golding, who sought his expertise and assistance in replenishing the river’s fish population.