Cedros fishermen still fuming over blank by Ministers

FALLOUT from Thursday’s meeting with selected representatives of the Fisherfolk Cooperative Society of Cedros continued yesterday with a number of Cedros fishermen threatening to stop fishing unless their calls for improved security measures to protect them when they go out to sea, are adequately addressed by Government. In an interview yesterday, Cedros fisherman Sirju Singh said local fisherfolk were being “sidelined” while a number of hand-picked representatives were chosen to attend the closed-door meeting at Coast Guard base in Cedros with National Security Minister Martin Joseph, Foreign Affairs Minister Knowlson Gift and Point Fortin MP Larry Achong, who is also the Parliamentary representative for Cedros residents.

“They doing what they want with us, and they not listening to us,” Singh charged. He said the meeting was supposed to be in the community centre, but this did not materialise. Singh warned that in light of this “slight” by Government, fishermen may now be forced to employ drastic measures in order to secure a meeting with Government’s high-level Inter-Ministerial team. “All fishermen from Erin and Moruga, like we have to get together and maybe for a couple of days or for a whole week, stop fishing,” he said. Singh revealed fishermen had already declared an unofficial curfew on all night-time fishing activities.

“Nobody goes out there, (to fish) at night.” Within recent times, two fishermen were murdered by marauding pirates in separate incidents. However, secretary of the Cedros Fishing Cooperative Cyril Rogers, described the meeting as “fruitful and successful,” saying local fisherfolk were “well represented” at the meeting. “We had representatives from Moruga, Morne Diablo, Erin, Icacos, Fullerton, Bonasse and Cedros,” Rogers said.

But, to avoid a repeat of Thursday’s events, Rogers observed that future consultations by Government’s Inter-Ministerial team should be held at a venue in the nation’s capital. “Representatives had requested better Coast Guard boats, radar installations and a greater police presence in the area to deal with illicit drugs and contraband that may be smuggled into the area,” he said.