The Fisheries Department said initiatives including excise tax exemptions on fuel for trawlers and fish processing plants release more than $2B per annum considering that more than seven million gallons of fuel are needed.

It denied reported claims by a member of the Fisheries Advisory Committee that other sectors, including sugar and rice, get more state support than fisheries.

The department said all equipment, materials and implements utilised in the sector get full duty exemption concessions.

In addition, the cost of all licences is significantly lower than in competing countries and can be as much as 800-1000% for artisanal vessels and up to 3,000% for trawlers, it stated.

The government also contributes more than $13M per annum for capacity-building and technical services provided to the sector through the CRFM.

According to the department, the ministry has also set up a $5M anti-piracy fund to provide start-up resources to fishermen affected by high seas piracy.

A communications network valued $15M has also been established to complement the services provided to fishermen in Region Six, it said.

The department urged FAC members, as representatives of the sector, to be mindful of the need to be factual and evidential before public utterances are made on the sector.

It said that a comparative analysis of other sectors under the direction of the Minister of Agriculture will show that at no time has so much annual support been provided even in circumstances of a disaster.

The Caribbean Community Secretariat yesterday also reported Mr. Jainaraine Pamashwar, a representative of the Upper Corentyne Fishers’ Association, Berbice, as expressing concern that fishers from his area are seeing smaller catches.

It said he was speaking during a panel discussion last Thursday at the secretariat headquarters.

He lamented that what the fishermen considered to be “fishing season” could no longer be identified, and that the fishes were “getting smaller”, it said.

Pamashwar said the fishers needed a “management structure” to guide them on how they could regulate their fishing and diversify their enterprise.

The secretariat said the CRFM is developing a comprehensive strategy to communicate more effectively with stakeholders in the fisheries sector to obtain information and feedback which would guide the agency in its work in promoting the sustainable use of fisheries and aquaculture resources in and among member states.

Deputy Executive Director of the CRFM, Mr. Milton Haughton told fisheries stakeholders who participated, that ministers responsible for fisheries had adopted a proposal by the Caribbean Regional Fisherfolk Network to be recognised as the regional representative body for the fisherfolk in the region, in policy decisions taken at the state and regional levels.

While there were mechanisms in place among CRFM states to consult with fisheries stakeholders on policy decisions affecting their sector, the decision marks the first time such a formal mechanism would be in place for fishers to have a seat at the Caribbean Fisheries Forum, which is the main advisory body of the CRFM, the secretariat said.