Moruga fishermen send SOS to Government

MORUGA fishermen say they are the forgotten labourers of this country. Already having to deal with non-existent facilities and an increase in the price of fuel, the fishermen are now faced with the prospect of losing their very lives whenever they venture to fish — not by drowning, not by sharks — but by armed, ruthless pirates.

Faced with these pressures, the fishermen are begging newly appointed National Security Minister Martin Joseph, to “beef up” the capabilities of the local Coast Guard so patrols could be carried out, affording them some measure of protection while they carry out their trade. Recently, fishermen from Grand Chemin were shot into the national spotlight when a group of fishermen were attacked, robbed by Spanish-speaking pirates and then ordered to jump into the sea, near Venezuela. Luckily, the Trini fishermen were rescued by a Guyanese fisherman.

One fisherman who identified himself only as “Nag” spoke to Newsday last Friday and related the tale of woe. “We are going out there at sea and imagine we are fishing in our own waters, and the Venezuelan Guardia Nacional just coming in and searching our boats and we end up spending up to two weeks in jail in Venezuela,” Nag stated as he gutted a freshly caught fish. “Now it has become more dangerous with bandits coming and tiefing our engines and our catch,” he added. Nag noted that the cost of catching fish had run in excess of $100,000 and with no cold-storage facilities at the Moruga Fishing Port, fishermen have no control over the price they sell their catch. “Boats cost $25,000, engines cost $22,000, transparent lines sell at $6,000 per pound, this is a very costly operation. We have the biggest port in TT with no cold-storage facility. So we are forced to sell our catch at almost next to nothing because it will stay and rot, if not sold quickly,” he complained.

Claira Ramlogan said the rise in the price of gasolene has put additional strain on the fishing industry in Moruga. Ramlogan, whose husband is a fisherman, noted that sometimes up to $1,500-$2000 is spent on gasolene for the boat engines. She said while the gas price was fixed and fuel is a necessity, the possibility of a good harvest of fish is not guaranteed. “We have to put out up to $2,000 in gas for our fishing expedition, but we not guaranteed we will get a good catch all the time. Then when we return with fish, we have to sell it at close to nothing, before it spoils, since there are no cold-storage facilities in Moruga,” Ramlogan cried. Responding to Security Minister Joseph’s decision that there will be no guns for the fishermen, Nag reminded Minister Joseph they tried lawfully to get the guns. He added that because pirates had guns, they (the fishermen) should get guns too, so that we could “level the playing field.” Other fishermen said the fishing industry could be a profitable one and provide jobs for the population as well as a regular, cheap source of protein for the local market, but Government needs to treat it as an Industry and assist the fishermen.