Fishermen: $1M not enough

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley announced during the weekly post-Cabinet briefing on Thursday that Cabinet has approved and instructed the Ministry of Finance to, “find” a sum of $1 million to offer to fisherfolk from affected areas.

Dead fish had started appearing on July 21 in Mosquito Creek and Coffee Beach in La Brea.

However, fisherfolk from Claxton Bay, Orange Valley and as far removed as Mayaro claim that they too were and continue to be affected as conflicting reports about the safety of their fish keep customers away from their stalls.

Andy Hosein, Vice President of the Orange Valley Fishing Association, claims that the Orange Valley fishing depot is the largest depot in the Caribbean where fish from all over Trinidad and Tobago, including the affected areas, is sold.

“Fish from La Brea does come in we depot to sell and we not getting anything?” Hosein owns a 32ft pirogue staffed by eight workers. A member of the Brickfield Fishing Association does not believe the $1m would be enough for all involved.

“1 million is a thousand thousands, right? That means if it have 1,000 workers, each of them getting $1,000? There are more than 1,000 fisherfolks in La Brea and Otaheite alone.”