Members of the San Fernando Fishing Cooperative are calling on the Minister of Agriculture to explain why a party boat has been docked at the San Fernando Fishing facility for weeks.
They claim the facility was not built to accommodate pleasure crafts, and want the Minister to intervene on their behalf.
Our reporter Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh tells us more.
00:00Yeah, it's not for pleasure. This is commerce. You understand? I don't know who is this man who are forcing him here, you know.
00:07Fishermen represented by the San Fernando Fishing Cooperative are demanding answers over a party boat, which they claim has been docked at the San Fernando Fishing Facility a few weeks now.
00:18They believe the improved facility, which took decades of lobbying for and was only handed over a few months ago, should be utilized by fishermen and not pleasure crafts that can disrupt their trade.
00:30When these people come here, they'll take over here. They piss all about the place. They are the place nasty. You can't say nothing because a man want to kill you.
00:39Maybe I reach old enough to death, so I'll say the right thing. And we really want to know what is going on.
00:45Taylor, a founding member of the cooperative this week, spoke with reporters on site on behalf of their president, Bobby Sooklausing.
00:52All of a sudden, they ring the cooperative and say, this man, say he's coming and he's not moving because he's a part of the UNCM thing. He's not moving from our place. This is our place.
01:05We want to know something. Why? What is this? They are a hijack or a takeover. Nobody is telling us nothing. This is San Fernando Fishing Cooperative. This is San Fernando Fishing Place.
01:17The fishermen say two letters were sent to the Ministry of Agriculture in July highlighting their concerns, but they've received no response to date.
01:26We contacted Agriculture Minister Ravi Ratiram this week, who said he had not yet read or received any letter from the cooperative.
01:34However, he asked if fishermen wanted the facility to be treated strictly as a commercial facility, whether or not they would be prepared to pay commercial rates.
01:44When asked to clarify if pleasure crafts like a party boat can dock at this site, he said he would check and get back to us.
01:51However, despite numerous follow-up requests via WhatsApp and calls up to news time, no response was provided.
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