A national commercial fishing policy could give fishers access to proper insurance coverage and protections for their vessels, as they struggle with costly gaps in the current system, the head of a fledgling fishing group urged on Tuesday.
Moonesh Dharampaul, leader of the Black Fin Fleet, a group formed following Hurricane Beryl last year, said it was important to put certain strategies in place to “ensure that when those boats are on the water, and when we do have a better system in place, those systems will cause an evolution for the industry”.
Fisherfolk have participated in meetings with the World Bank, the insurance industry and the government to present their case on why a commercial fishing policy is important to them, he said.
Dharampaul said: “They want the commercial fishing boats to be compliant with insurance. However, there’s a number of challenges with that because the insurance sector in Barbados is not fit for purpose. Their policies that they have do not cover commercial fishing.”
He revealed that although they have been negotiating insurance rates, there are still several challenges.
“We have been able to negotiate three per cent on the comprehensive with the General Insurance Association of Barbados; however, the next part of that situation is that we want to ensure that we have a commercial fishing policy. We don’t have that right now.”
He explained the importance of this policy to those in the fishing sector: “If a guy is fishing and he uses his gear in the water, it is not covered under the insurance, and that could be thousands of dollars. If a boat leaves Barbados and goes outside the economic zone, which is 200 miles, let’s say a guy goes 300 miles, he’s in international waters. He’s also not covered.”
About four insurance companies offer marine policies, but not at a commercial level, said Dharampaul.
“We believe that Barbados is a republic. This is new territory, and this is something that we can get together and work with the insurance industry to ensure that persons do have the coverage that they want and let me be clear, fishermen want coverage.”
One of the fishers’ challenges with the insurance industry is the lack of trust on both sides and the fishermen’s apprehension, Dharampaul said.
“We are fearful that if we do not join together as a group and deal with the insurance, our members may be facing becoming a victim. At the end of the day, we do not want a situation where a law is put in place, the fishermen are not given enough time to comply, and then they are villainised.”
The leader of the Black Fin Fleet also appealed for enough time to be given for a proper policy to be developed.
He said: “All we are asking is that we give them enough time to put better policies and standards in place. For example, if there is a storm now, fishermen do not have any haul-out facilities or slipways. We don’t have any of that right now, you’re very limited. I have spoken with fisheries, and they have indicated that by next year, May or March, they should be able to have more slipways and haul-out facilities in place, and by that time, the breakwater that is being done in the complex will be finished. So that is something good for us.”
Dharampaul added that commercial fishing insurance should also account for seasonal variability and climate change.
“We’ve had fishermen go for a whole entire season and don’t recover any kind of money because they’re just not catching any fish. You know that’s why we want a commercial fishing policy, because a commercial fishing policy will not charge you for the entire year. They only charge you for a season.”
louriannegraham@barbadostoday.bb
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