Fishermen Urged to Register

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Honourable Dr. Christopher Tufton, has emphasised the need for fishermen across the island to register with the Fisheries Department.
“When we talk about the need to register with the Fisheries Department and to register your boat and the need to have safety gears before you go out to sea, it is not because we do not like you or because we are fighting against the fisherman or the fishing industry, but it is because we care about you and what happens to you,” Dr. Tufton stressed.
The Minister was addressing fishermen from St. Ann, in St. Ann’s Bay, on Friday, November 6.
Dr. Tufton argued that registration of the fishermen was most important, as it would be of major assistance in the planning process.
“Nobody should be on the fishing beach if they are not registered, so that we know who they are, where they are and what they are doing,” he declared.
Dr. Tufton said that the installation of basic structures, such as toilets, gear sheds and other facilities depended largely on the number of persons that are operating in the fishing village, hence a record of such persons would definitely make the planning process easier.
“Registration is not about taxing or arresting anybody. Nobody else will have that database except us, to ensure that we know what we have on each beach and how we are going to work with you. It is the same thing for the vessels; the marked identification number on your vessel, based on registration, is fundamental to moving the process forward,” Dr. Tufton explained.
He said that the Government was committed to working with fishermen across the island, to achieve the best out of the industry.
“We need to demonstrate that we (Government) are committed to the fishing sector and to the fishermen, by working with you on your infrastructure and your beaches. We want you to have facilities, so you can be comfortable when you go to work, because you are no different from the hotel worker, the bank worker or anybody else,” he said.
The Minister argued that the fishermen, in playing their part, needed to practise their fishing trade using a particular type of approach, one that would preserve themselves as well as keep the fishing industry alive.