Basseterre St. Kitts (May 10, 2010) -- “We pledge as a ministry and the government that we will do all in our power to make good those things which are bad, because we want to ensure that we as a government facilitate an environment in which fishers can thrive, can do well and make a success of their livelihoods.”
Senior Minister with responsibilities for Marine Resources, Dr. Timothy Harris, made the remarks on Wednesday afternoon May 5, following a meeting he held with fishers at the Old Road Fisheries Complex, where they addressed their problems to him. He was accompanied by the Senior Fisheries Officer Joseph Simmonds and Assistant Secretary Chez Dore.
Work on the fisheries complex, which was built with the assistance from the Japanese government at a cost of US$6 million, started in 2006 and the facility was handed over to the government and people of St. Kitts and Nevis in 2007. Dr Harris was welcomed by manager Euclid Warner (who is also manager at the Basseterre Fisheries Complex), and supervisor Hazel Richards.
After touring the facility, members of the Old Road Fishers Cooperatives updated the senior minister on their activities and issues hampering the successful utilisation of the facility. Dr Harris pointed out that the government would undertake to engage the services of engineering experts to find the way forward in terms of the pier, berthing and landing facilities which the fishers complained were wanting.
“Once we have that and we are basically in agreement in terms of the prescriptions which are being put forward, we are going to explore financing to do the improvements and renovations that are called for,” said Dr Harris. “This may mean going back to the relevant authorities within the Japanese Government to ask that they consider prioritising this facility to bring it into a condition of greater functionality and utility for the fishers.”
The fishers complained that some of their members had been accused of straying into St. Eustatius waters where they would be arrested and fined heavily, while they thought that they were within St. Kitts and Nevis territorial waters. They also complained of the high cost of docking large boats in Basseterre, and requested for a review on concessions currently offered by government.
Dr. Harris expressed his concerns over the trauma, inconveniences and difficulties some of them had encountered while fishing in the open seas bordering other countries and informed them that he would prefer that the matter be dealt with at the government to government level, rather than at the level of the fishers.
“We certainly will try to examine what has been done in the past in terms of the government of St. Kitts and Nevis reaching out with the countries such as Saba, St. Eustatius etc, with a view to finding an amicable solution for the fishers from St. Kitts and Nevis, and avenues for cooperation because we would want our fishers to be able to explore our marine resources without let and hindrance from other players in our waters,” said the senior minister.
On the issue of docking at the Urban Development Corporation’s (UDC) Port Zante facilities, Dr Harris said that was a matter which his ministry would be taking up with the relevant parties to see what measure of relief and support government could bring to the fishers at a time when that kind of accommodation cannot be provided at the fisheries facility in Basseterre.
As for duty concessions the senior minister said that given the cost of boats, outboard engines and other inputs that are required by the fishers, the ministry would undertake to relook at all of those issues and to ask the Cabinet to reexamine with a view to improve up on the slate of concessions that is made available to the fisherfolks in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“I want to thank the fisherfolks who showed up this evening and who were very frank and constructive in their approach to the issues,” concluded Dr. Harris. “I want to thank all of them including Oliver Spencer who is a well respected fisherman in the area, who has been engaged and whose his family has been engaged in fishing for a very long while, for articulating so clearly some of the concerns and for all the other fishers who gave candid expressions of their views.”
