#TurksandCaicos, August 30, 2017 – Providenciales – There are too many fisherman in the Turks and Caicos and there will be a study conducted by the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources to prove it. South Caicos Member of Parliament, Ruth Blackman said she was happy to see some of the young men of South Caicos get jobs in the hospitality industry as fisheries is floundering.
“So far in South Caicos last week was a rough week for the fisherman, and if the trend continues it doesn’t seem as if we’re going to be able to catch up, so that is something Mr. Minister that I think as a country for the fisherman, we are going to have to focus on and see how best we can handle the situation in terms of the poaching and in terms of encouraging the fisherman to look elsewhere, and gain employment in other sectors. I was happy to see a few of the fisherman in South Caicos decide to take up the challenge of not going back to the sea, but staying on land, and working either at the East Bay Resort or the Sail Rock property.”
Minister with responsibility for fisheries, Ralph Higgs chimed in with news that a study is to be launched next season to determine if there is over saturation.
“This year for the first time we sent to the fisherman a letter that says we will be doing some reviews and some studies of the fishing banks, and the ensuing year we hope to make some sound and some solid decisions on the future of the industry, what the carrying capacity is of the sector for next year, and we will only facilitate the number of persons or licenses that the fishing sector based on science can support.”
The issue of the future of the fishing industry was addressed in a recent House of Assembly meeting.
