Six Venezuelan fishermen held fishing in Tobago waters

Six Venezuelan fishermen were yesterday held by the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard for fishing in TT waters, just off Charlotteville, on Tobago’s north east coast. While reports remained sketchy up to late yesterday, Sunday Newsday learnt that a well-known Charlotteville fisherman, identified as Gordon Eastman, was fishing ‘deep’ off the fishing district when the Venezuelan vessel with six men aboard, dropped anchor menacingly close to him, virtually bearing down on his boat.

He decided against taking any chances, cut his anchor, and hurriedly returned to port. The Coast Guard was alerted and the Venezuelans were held and handed over to the Charlotteville Police. A police source confirmed the report about 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon and indicated that the men were being transferred to the Scarborough CID, where they were to be interrogated and processed. The Venezuelans will appear in court tomorrow. This comes on the heels of an incident two days earlier, in which, according to a Coast Guard release, six Venezuelan fishermen were rescued by Coast Guard patrol boat TTS Crown Point some 36 miles east of Tobago after their vessel “Kyrah” broke down, caught fire and sank.