Fisherfolk at the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex have demanded urgent action after a six-week ice outage, high diesel prices and competition from imported fish severely disrupted operations and left many vessels unable to go to sea.
Moonesh Dharampaul, president of the Black Fin Fleet Co-operative, has described the situation as neglect that threatens the industry’s survival. With the facility’s ice-maker out of action, its workers have not been told when repairs will be completed.
“This is six weeks now,” Dharampaul said. “We have not got an official technical update about what’s happening on the ice machine.”
The complex has two ice machines, each designed to produce 20 tonnes of ice daily to supply the fleet. However, both units remain out of service.
The lack of ice has disrupted operations. While up to 20 long-line vessels would normally go to sea in a given week, only a fraction can now leave port. Dharampaul estimated that at most 10 to 15 boats across the entire fleet are currently operational, leaving many crew members without work.
Veteran fisherman Emmerson Pinder told Barbados TODAY: “A limited amount of boats are able to leave port. Where 20 boats can leave on any given week, only four can leave, and that’s not good for business right now.”
Bridgetown fisherman Emmerson Pinder voices his concerns as fellow fishers look on. (Photo Credit: Ricardo Roberts)
He and other fishers have been forced to sail hundreds of miles round-trip to neighbouring nations to secure supplies, he said.
“In order to go to sea, I had to make a call to Grenada. I ask them: ‘I would like some ice.’ That is over 150 miles going and coming back. That’s extra fuel that we expend before we even start fishing — $10 000 to $13 000 in fuel costs before I get paid. It’s killing me.
“We got two ice machines here at Bridgetown, supposed to be 20 tonnes per machine — 40 tonnes. That means you can do at least five to eight boats, depending on the size of the boat. Right now, both machines aren’t working. That is bad.”
High diesel prices have also added to the pressure, as a single trip can cost thousands of dollars in fuel, according to vessel owners.
“Right now, my diesel bill is at least $6 000,” Pinder said. “They can keep the levy or the taxes on the diesel, but we need duty-free help to keep the venture going. With the diesel price up, they are squeezing us. We need help with the diesel. Very high prices of diesel right now mean high prices of fish, and that is going to impact everybody.”
Rising operating costs have pushed up the dockside price of fresh fish, while fishermen say they are also competing with imported frozen fish. Dharampaul said fish imported for commercial processing was entering the retail market and supermarkets, competing with domestic catches.
“I can’t come home and sell fresh fish at $8 or $9 when operating costs are this high,” Pinder insisted. “The people that are importing the fish have the upper hand on me because importers are getting fish at US$2 [$4] a pound and coming in to compete with me in this market. The imported fish was supposed to go to processing, but it ends up in the market competing with our fresh fish.”
Consumers managing tight household budgets were increasingly choosing cheaper imported fish, without recognising the difference in quality, he claimed.
“People need to rush to the market to buy fresh fish, but instead they just rush to the supermarket where the fish is much cheaper. They treat the imported fish so it looks fresh, but me as a fisherman, I know the difference. Something is wrong.”
With an average vessel typically completing two trips per month, several crews reported being unable to manage even one. Fishing representatives are calling for relief on fuel duties, swift repairs to the ice machines, and tighter enforcement on fish imports.
“The longer we are here like this, the hungrier people become, and the higher the bills go,” Pinder warned.
During last week’s tour of the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex and the ongoing repair work on the breakwater structure, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Fisheries Santia Bradshaw said she will meet with the fisherfolk this week to hear their concerns.
(RR)
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