00:00Fisher folk in Fort Granby are calling for an updated fish facility. Their concerns nearby the 4th in Fort Granby.
00:10Built around 1765 to protect the short-lived first capital, Georgetown, Fort Granby is the second oldest fort on the island and the first British fortification.
00:23It was named for a British hero of the Seven Years' War and the British held sizable post of arms here. Fisher folk are calling for action.
00:33Fisher folk operating from the Fort Granby facility say conditions there are unacceptable. Despite the facility's prime location, it faces multiple issues. There are no toilets or bathrooms. The roof leaks and the site lacks security.
00:51There is also no electricity, with rotted poles and exposed wiring posing safety risks.
00:58These are the few fishermen that are here today because some of them carry away the boat due to the dilapidation of the building and some of them go on other ports to do repairs on the boat because we don't have no current, we can't fish what we want to fish, right? And we don't have no proper security or anything in the night.
01:17Fisher folk also report theft at the facility. Water tanks, pipe fittings and even a fishing vessel have been stolen overnight.
01:24When we come in from the sea in the night, sometimes we have to put the phone up. We don't know where we come in to reach because the whole line in the back is dark. You understand? It's black in the night.
01:36Sometimes we have to put the phone on top there to get a little phone line to cut up fish, to ice up with fish and do what we have to do, right?
01:42See, it could be night time, it could be midday, it could be morning. We don't know according to the sea front. It's a small, small little boat there. We have to use to go out there. We capsize. Sometimes we lost the whole catch. You understand? Right? So we really, really, really, really, really need some focus on.
02:00And you reported it to the police? To the police, because we have to fish with the team. And most I could say, you know, we can't help. We have no money to help you all. No assistance offer.
02:12I think fishermen need a little more respect. We want a place where we could land our fish properly. And a place where we could secure boats in the night properly. Right? My thinking is that we should have a brick wall to control the sea that's coming in.
02:37The community is now appealing to the incoming Secretary for Fisheries to take urgent action and provide a more functional, secure and safe facility. Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.
Comments