Several fishermen who operate by the Hope Canal on the East Coast of Demerara were recently banned from plying their trade there. According to reports, the Fisheries Department of the Agriculture Ministry issued the notices this week, and instructed the operators to relocate their vessels to the Hope koker.
Understandably, the fishermen were up in arms against the move, and pointed to the mounting threats to their livelihoods. Many of the affected were quick to point out that they utilise the canal to save their boats from the pounding waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
One man related that due to the closure of the sugar estate at which he previously worked, he had no other choice but to join the fishing industry to obtain an income. However, when asked to pay monies unnecessarily, there isn’t much profit. At one point in the past, the fisher folks’ profit had been $2000 per day.
According to the affected men, they were told that they would no longer have access to the area in question, as they were contributing to “damages” there. They also contend that it would be impossible to take their boats to the other docking site in such a short period of time, since it would be occupied by other fishermen who also usually use the koker on a regular basis.
This is a worrisome development. If indeed the activities of the fishermen were contributing to damages to the nearby infrastructure, the relevant authorities — in this case, the Fisheries Department of the Agriculture Ministry – could easily have met with the fishermen and, through dialogue, all parties concerned could have identified an alternative location (even if the only available alternative was the koker). Instead, the businessmen were faced with the ban, and were given, in their view, an unacceptable alternative. Some of the men were also taken into custody by the Police for failure to possess a valid fishing licence. They were each subsequently released on bail.
While pleading with Government to review the decision, the fishermen explained that their only reason for utilising the canal was to harbour their boats and save the vessels from incurring losses when out at sea during inclement weather conditions. In the past, those whose fishing boats were openly left in the ocean suffered major losses, and sometimes their day’s earnings.
In addition, the fishermen related that when their vessels are left at the koker at night, there is a chance that engines and other parts might get stolen, thereby forcing them to spend the entire night watching over their boats.
The men are contending that even with these concerns highlighted, there is little care on behalf of the authorities. Others also agreed that their livelihoods are being hindered in light of this decision. The men are calling on the relevant authorities to revoke the ban in order for them to continue to ply their trade in the fishing industry.
Meanwhile, their fellow fisher folk in Number 43 Village, Corentyne, Berbice are facing their own challenge. Reportedly, the channel they utilise has not been cleared for some time, and has become clogged. The situation is having an impact on the cost of fish on the Corentyne, as fishing crews are forced to wait for hours on high tide in order to get out to sea. There are also reports of boats having been grounded for days before the tide became high enough to refloat them. The impact of this is already being felt at the Port Mourant Market — the price for fresh has increased by about twenty-five percent.
The situation is being attributed to the reduction of available fish, caused by the extra time being spent waiting at the head of the Number 43 outfall channel on the extra-high tide. With no immediate answers forthcoming from Government, like the fishermen at Hope, who are contemplating the future of their trade, the fisher folk in Number 43 Village, Corentyne, Berbice are now wondering whether the Government has indeed turned its back on the industry. The Government, moreso the Agriculture Minister, in prevailing good sense, should intervene to help these ordinary fisher folks sustain their livelihood.
