THA opposed to moratorium on B’dos fishing vessels

THE TOBAGO House of Assembly (THA) will not support any “moratorium” on the seizure of Barbadian fishing vessels caught in TT’s territorial waters.

THA Chief Secretary Orville London made this clear during the post-Executive Council Meeting press briefing Thursday. He was responding to a query on reports that a decision had been taken that such a moratorium would be in force while negotiations were in progress for a new fishing agreement between Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. London said he did not know of any such decision and there was no mention of it in the very detailed report on the last round of negotiations between both parties. “I have seen nothing to indicate anything about any moratorium; because if there was a moratorium it would have been passed on to the law enforcement authorities, and therefore you would not have had any arrest,” he said.

“I remember reading where it was specified that there would be no fishing, not only in the territorial waters, but they actually have a buffer. The territorial water is 12 miles, the fishing agreement as of today is 14 miles. They give you 12 miles and they giving you a two-mile buffer that you not supposed to come in. “So that the territorial waters as designated for the purpose of this fishing ‘arrangement’ says 14 miles is Trinidad or Tobago’s territorial waters, don’t come! I am saying that I don’t know of any moratorium, and I am saying that this Assembly and this Chief Secretary would be adamant in that there should not even be thought of a moratorium until such time as we come to a final decision.”