SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) – Due to yet unknown reasons a large quantity of fish has been found dead in the water flow channel between Fresh Pond and Great Salt Pond, near the Illidge Road roundabout, the Inspectorate of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (Inspectorate VSA) said in a statement on Saturday.
“The heat and direct sunlight are speeding up the rotting process and is producing a very unpleasant stench.
“The Government is doing its utmost to remove the dead fish as fast as possible and dispose of them in an appropriate manner. We ask the public for their understanding with this situation and continuing cooperation in this matter.
“That being said, we hereby issue an alert to the public that any fish recovered from this site, dead or alive, may constitute a serious risk for the health of humans and animals.
“The Inspectorate of VSA and its division of Food Safety, strongly advice everyone to abstain from consuming fish from this site.
“We recommend everyone to buy fish only at the established points of sale, where the regular and accepted controls have taken place by the Inspectorate, and the safety of the fish is guaranteed,” Inspectorate VSA concludes in its statement.
