Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour, Dr. the Honourable Kedrick D. Pickering. Photo:VINO

The Minister had a healthy interactive session with the participants highlighting many wrongs in the fishing industry that he said have to be made right, plans for new areas of investments and a number of initiatives that are necessary to improve the fishing sector. Photo: VINO

A local fisherman raising a number of issues of concern at the conference. Photo: VINO

No doubt the Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour will not cease to use the phrase "We have to find new ways of doing old things" as it is the intention for his message to be digested and well understood. Most recently in excess of 50 persons, mainly women, were hearers of the statement at the occasion of the first National Fishermen's Conference, which was held at the Purcell Community Centre on March 1, 2013.

The Minister had a healthy interactive session with the participants highlighting many wrongs in the fishing industry that he said have to be made right, plans for new areas of investments and a number of initiatives that are necessary to improve the fishing sector.

"At the end of this term, the fishing industry has to be a main economic pillar in the BVI. The pieces are falling into place and we intend to make it happen." Hon. Pickering told the gathering. 

The minister challenged the group to take responsibility on par with the leaders of government of protecting the fishing industry. "Just as how we destroyed the beach at Fat Hogs Bay, just as how we nearly destroyed the beach at Josiah's Bay, that is what will happen to the fishing industry," he said.

Critical on the agenda of saving the fishing industry of the Virgin Island is the issue of ridding the water of abandoned fish traps, one which he said Government is in the process of working out strategies of sourcing funding. 

"Nobody is talking about banning fish traps, that's not what it is," he stated emphatically and added that studies have shown that one of the most common causes for the destruction of coral reefs is the use of fish traps, especially in Belize and other countries. 

He said persons in the fishing industry have to become more conscious about the materials being used since it has been discovered that many are now using steel instead of wood in making fish traps.

"You know what the great danger of that is, is that every time you lose that fish trap with that steel, it is not degrading, it stays in the water, it stays in the areas of the coral reefs, it continually attracts the fish and all that is happening is that the fishes continue to die," he pointed out. 

Considering the fact that Hon. Pickering noted, "we are killing the fish, we are destroying our own livelihood," the answer, he said, would be in finding ways to change the type of materials that are being used for the fish trap.

He further said that as the responsible Minister, he is working diligently to source the necessary funds for the cleanup project. "With the help of all the fishermen we will go to all the main fisher banks, we will do extensive diving and we will remove those fish traps that have been lost in the water because they are not helping anybody," he assured.  

Hon. Pickering also alluded to the many complaints of piracy that are taking place with fish traps.