London warns Bajan fishermen

This in a nutshell, was the warning from THA Chief Secretary Orville London as he commented on the ruling of the Arbitration Tribunal at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in the Hague, which favoured Trinidad and Tobago on the fishing agreement.

London said he hoped Barbados fishermen would continue to “err on the side of caution” and not veer into Tobago waters. The ruling was clear, he said, adding: “Until such time as there are bilateral discussions and negotiations, I hope Barbados fishermen are not persuaded by the deputy Prime Minister’s statements which seem to suggest that they have a right to wander into Tobago waters.”

He said he expected that the authorities — the Coast Guard —would be monitoring Tobago’s waters to ensure that there is no illegal fishing. Mottley, who claimed that Barbados had been victorious before the arbitral tribunal, stated Barbados fisherfolk were entitled to be accorded access to traditional fishing grounds — namely Trinidad and Tobago waters.

London added that there was no incident (of Barbados fishermen fishing illegally in Tobago waters) during the period of the arbitration. London said he was very satisfied with the ruling because it brought a degree of certainty to the situation. “We now have an opportunity as stakeholders, on behalf of Tobago fishermen, to reopen negotiations for a new fishing agreement.

He stressed that Trinidad and Tobago could now negotiate on its own terms. “Initially the Barbadians were claiming that they had a historical right to fish in Trinidad’s waters. That situation is no longer valid,” he said, since the ruling made it clear that it was “Tobago’s waters”.