UNC warns of Caricom invading TT waters

THE OPPOSITION UNC warned that granting Barbadians permission to fish in local waters could lead to other Caricom countries making similar demands on Trinidad and Tobago’s maritime resources. In a statement yesterday, the UNC asked: “On what basis do the fishermen of Barbados want to fish in our waters? What do we get in return? If permission is given to Barbadians to fish in our waters, can we then deny the same facility to other Caricom countries?” The Opposition said these are the issues which must be settled bilaterally between TT and Barbados but “we must not be bullied by anyone, even a sister Caricom state.” The UNC also said central to the TT/Barbados fishing dispute is the absence of a delimitation treaty between the two nations. “The absence of such a treaty may have serious consequences not only for the fishing industry but also for the oil and gas industry with respect to the commercial exploitation of offshore hydrocarbon deposits.

In light of this, the Opposition calls upon the Government of TT to put the interest of TT first and seek delimitation of our Exclusive Economic Zone,” the UNC declared. The Opposition expressed its fervent hope that an ongoing initiative between Tobago and Barbadian fisherman would help to calm troubled waters between TT and Barbados. Prime Minister Patrick Manning said Government is awaiting the outcome of that initiative before moving forward and stands ready to meet with the Barbadian government to resolve the matter.