Processing begins for fisherfolk to get assistance

Fisherfolk from La Brea, Otaheite, and Vessigny were invited to register with the Ministry to begin the process to receive assistance. Over one hundred fisherfolk - fishermen, hustlers, and fish vendors - from La Brea and Vessigny registered on Thursday at the Vessigny Community Centre and those from Otaheite registered at the South Oropouche Community Centre on Friday.

Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Claudelle McKellar said that money would be distributed on the basis of need.

As such, fisherfolk were made to fill out a registration form detailing their number of dependents, level of household income, and monthly living expenses.

“Again, we would like to stress that this financial assistance and not compensation,” McKellar noted.

“Of course, a household that has, let’s say, four children going to school is likely to get more assistance than a household that only has one child.” Fish vendors from the Otaheite fishing depot were grateful for the assistance, but feared that the process would be abused just as it had been when State-owned Petrotrin compensated fisherfolk after the oil spills in 2013.

According to the vendors, people not involved in the fishing industry took advantage of the process and accessed monies paid out at the time.

McKellar indicated that they were asking fisherfolk to provide the National IDs, Fishery Registration IDs, and boat engine registration numbers for those who owned boats in order to avoid that kind of abuse. Executives of the various fishing associations were also asked to provide the Ministry with a lists of authentic fisherfolk which would be used to validate those registering.

However, Shastri Cyril, 35, who sells fish in Otaheite observed that fish vendors who had long left the profession due to its physical demand and high levels of financial uncertainty returned yesterday to register for assistance.

He accused Clement Charles, the President of the Otaheite Fish Vendors Association, of adding extra names to the list.

“We do not have more than 50 fish vendors in Otaheite, but I see Clement have a list with 85 people.” Cyril worried that monies spread too thin would result in authentic fishermen being short-handed.

Charles defended himself saying that the names he provided on the list included vendors who returned to the profession before the appearance of thousands of dead fish in Vessigny and La Brea.

McKellar indicated that after registration, information provided by fisherfolk would be assessed and validated, and money would be distributed in about three weeks