MINISTER of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy said Monday that the dangers in marine fishing have become more apparent and as a precautionary measure, there is need to make certain that the boats have certain equipment, such as the global positioning system (GPS) to ensure their safety.

But, speaking at a press conference in his Regent Road, Georgetown office, he pointed out that the plan to make sure all boats have the GPS cannot go ahead until all the fishermen agree to it.
Ramsammy said the fishermen have to procure their individual GPS that will be monitored, because the ministry cannot afford to provide each fisherman with the system.
He said the proposed programme is through collaboration among the Agriculture and Transport and Hydraulics Ministries and stakeholder companies to protect fisherfolk and curb the increasing number of piracy attacks.
According to the minister, the GPS will enable the ministry to monitor the fishermen, by actively knowing the location of their fishing boats and, in doing so, will be able to ascertain whether they might be in trouble or not.
Ramsammy said one of the problems with Coast Guards right now is the wide geographical spread of the ocean, which prevents them from knowing when a fisherman is in trouble, until he is reported missing, which may be some two or three days later.
He said, with the GPS on the boats, the Coast Guard will be able to know exactly where the boats are and enable its ranks to go to particular locations rather than just moving around looking for something suspicious.
Minister Ramsammy said his ministry has already come to an agreement with the trawlers association to procure their GPS and he commended the group for working along with the Ministry, stating that they are currently finalising the arrangements.
According to him, this now means that the trawlers will not be able to acquire their licence if they do not have the GPS.
He added that the Ministry is still to consult with the artisanal fishermen, the ones that go out into the shallow waters.