Combining Community Engagement and Environmental Stewardship

Fishing in the Cabinda Bay area is an important means of income for local communities and a commercial resource for the region.

In 2006, the Health, Environment and Safety staff of Chevron subsidiary Cabinda Gulf Oil Company Limited undertook a study to establish a baseline of contaminant levels of fish in Cabinda Bay. The local fishing community was consulted in advance of the study and assisted in fish collection from offshore and near-shore fishing grounds. The baseline is expected to be compared with future samples.

The study also helped build institutional capacity by transferring analytical capabilities from the company to the National Institute for Fisheries Research and the Cabinda Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, Environment and Rural Development.