THE public is being warned against retrieving, selling and purchasing the fishes found dead in the South Oropouche River yesterday morning.

Head of the Sustainable Climate Resilience Initiative Edward Moodie suspects that an industrial chemical poisonous substance dumped in the river caused their demise.

'I want to warn people to be careful,' Moodie said as he explained that while on site at the South Oropouche River in Debe yesterday, he had to stop a man who had collected crabs in a bucket and another who had picked up catfish to sell.