THE CONTENTIOUS ISSUE of Barbadian fishermen being arrested for fishing illegally in Trinidad and Tobago’s waters is being thrashed out at the prime ministerial level.
Minister of the Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Kirk Humphrey said the matter was receiving the “personal attention” of Prime Minister Mia Mottley who is engaging Trinidad and Tobago’s leadership to find a solution.
“The Prime Minister has taken a personal interest in resolving the issue,” Humphrey said at the weekend. He was at the Argentine Embassy where Government and the embassy, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation, unveiled a fish silage project designed to maximise the economic potential of the fishing industry.
Humphrey reported “quite positive” discussions between the two governments so far with regard to the fishing controversy: “We are pretty sure that we will come to some resolution on the matter very shortly.”
However, he issued a caution to Barbadian fishermen about straying into other people’s fishing space: “We have to recognise that sovereign waters are sovereign waters and when you drift into somebody else’s waters, there is the potential for something to happen.”
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