Whose flying fish?

JUDGING from the robber talk emanating reportedly from Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur, one would be inclined to believe that Trinidad and Tobago was deliberately holding up negotiations for a new fishing agreement between the two countries. This however is not the case, and we are concerned that the normally level-headed Mr Arthur would choose to play politics with this issue even to the extent of creating friction between TT and its friendly Caricom partner. As far as we are aware, there is no objection, no reluctance, no feet dragging on the part of the TT government in the current negotiations for a renewal of the fishing agreement with Barbados which goes back to 1990.

But even if Mr Arthur had gained such a perception, it seems unfortunate that he would become so upset as to threaten the whole course of Caribbean integration because of problems in arriving at a fishing agreement. As we understand it, the negotiations have been proceeding without any serious hitch, the fourth round of which was completed last week Friday in Bridgetown. Indeed, if there is any reluctance to conclude it, it appears to be on Mr Arthur’s side since the Barbadians requested almost a three-month adjournment of the talks, fixing next February for their resumption.

In response to the disgruntled noises we hear coming from “The Land of the Flying Fish,” it seems important to point out that these negotiations are taking place against a rising tide of concern among Trinidad and Tobago’s fishing community about the depletion of the country’s fish stocks as a result of over-fishing by Barbadians and others in our territorial waters. This anxiety, for example, is expressed in a letter to Newsday by well-known fisherman Sid Johnson who writes: “I have been fishing for many years off Tobago in the same area that the Barbados boats are fishing for “their” flying fish and there has been an incredible decline in all of our migratory and highly migratory fish (Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Tuna, Dolphinfish and Wahoo) which were once abundant off Tobago and which they are also targetting. One major apparent reason is that the 200 or so Barbados fishing boats are catching all of the flying fish which is the feed stock for our migratory and high migratory species.”

Johnson sounds an alarm that the TT government cannot ignore and, we expect, that one major inescapable objective of the TT negotiators would be to ensure such limitations are placed on Barbadian fishermen that would preserve our fishing stocks, that the exploitation of these valuable resources is sustainable, that they are not depleted any further by an invading free-for-all. Apparently, the Barbadians are facing the sad results of over-fishing in their own waters and that experience should render them amenable to the measures that TT must take if we are to avoid suffering a similar fate. There has to be an open and closed season for these visiting fishermen and a limitation on the number of boats entering our waters at any one time. We understand the traditional culinary value that Barbadians place on flying fish, but they must accept that their present predicament is of their own making. And regardless of how much they may relish flying fish, that does not give them any unfettered right to simply come and take ours.