MILLIONS IN PROFIT

CCNTV6

The Tobago House of  Assembly through the Tobago Agribusiness Development Company has made over three million dollars in commercial fishing profits through the Capital of Paradise fishing vessel. This from Chairman of the TADCO Ricardo Alfred.   Mr. Alfred spoke to TV6'S Elizabeth Williams on Friday, near the Coast Guard base in Scarborough, where the vessel is anchored after returning from drydocking.

Transcript

00:00In 2022, we would have earned about $1,100,000.

00:06In the second year, 2023, we would have earned just about $1.3 million.

00:12And last year, we would have just closed off with about $1.1 million.

00:16So we are quite happy where the vessel is.

00:20TT or US?

00:21TT.

00:22TT dollars.

00:23Yes, I'm quite happy where the vessel is.

00:24I'm quite happy with the crew in terms of what they have been producing.

00:27Some of the cash generated is channeled to the school feeding program in Tobago.

00:32Refurbishment works at Tadco Shore Park.

00:35And on Friday, free tuna soup and a tour of the vessel were offered to members of the

00:41public.

00:42So what we do, the vessel goes into international waters, which is 200 nautical miles away from

00:46the nearest land.

00:49Our target species is yellowfin tuna, but over the time, we would have caught things

00:52like shark, dolphin, kingfish, ocean god.

00:57These things were definitely put into use in terms of the Tobago space, in terms of

01:01the school feeding program, persons who want to do things like the smoke fishing, which

01:05we offer at the compound.

01:07But an average is about 60,000 to 65,000 pounds per year.

01:11Captain Llewellyn Ellis is encouraging fisherfolk to take their skills further.

01:17Trained in Japan under the fishing technology program, he also worked at the Caribbean Fisheries

01:23Trinidad Development Institute for 17 years as a fishing technology instructor.

01:29Was it always your dream to be a fisherman?

01:32Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:33Yeah, well, actually, I used to run away from school and go fishing.

01:36I even went adrift from Buku in 1990, a lone fisherman.

01:42Yeah, I went adrift by myself for three days, and then Pete Tanker picked me up.

01:48And then my mom say, stop fishing now, boy.

01:51So she got a government job for me.

01:53But it was still fishing.

01:54Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.

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