Derelict fishing boats demolished

As several derelict fishing boats were demolished and carted away from the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex yesterday, one government minister gave the assurance that legislation is coming to prevent such premises from becoming junkyards.

Looking on as one of the vessels was bulldozed, Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Environment Kirk Humphrey said that before year end, legislation would head to Parliament surrounding the fisheries sector as a whole.

“I am promising before the end of the year you are going to see new legislation being brought to the Parliament that addresses a number of concerns as it comes to the boatyard, fishing and fisheries in general; a more comprehensive piece of legislation as it speaks to our fishing habits, penalties for certain indiscretions and so on,” he said.

Chief Fisheries Officer Steven Willoughby said that several of these boats along with old engines, ice boxes and other parts had been congesting the boatyard for as long as ten years, while stating that five would be removed in the yesterday’s process.

Outlining that six had already been removed from Oistins, he said it was possible more would be taken away as well in time.

“So far we have put notices on all the derelict boats around the island, asking the owners to come in and discuss the matter with us. We have published the notice in the
papers and if there is no response we will move the boats at the owner’s expense,” he told the media.

Explaining that some boat owners have come forward and started to repair their boats, while others chose to remove their vessels from the yards, he lamented that many
vagrants and homeless people had been using these abandoned units for shelter.

When the media took a short tour of the site, one old ice box, which was set to be demolished, bore evidence of being someone’s home, with a current calendar on one of its walls.

Humphrey insisted that government would reach out to these individuals.

“The state of the markets was shameful and the fact that there were some people living in the derelict boats and ice boxes speaks to two things – we have to be cognisant that there are people living below the radar for whatever reason and that as a government we have to have the capacity not only to reach them, but to show that we care for them; and the other is that we have to take care of these government premises,” he stated.
(JMB)