Quashie: Fishing depot a disaster for Castara

Junior Quashie, President of the Castara Fishermen Association, agrees with Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley description of the fishing facility on the beach at Castara as a “monstrosity.”

Speaking during last Thursday’s ‘Conversations with the Prime Minister’ event at the Scarborough Library, Rowley said the fishing depot had destroyed the beach.

“I must admit to you all, you all have built something on Castara beach that I find quite offensive. I don’t know who idea that was, but whoever built that monstrosity on Castara beach, you have damaged that beach,” he told Tobagonians gathers at the Library.

“The aesthetics of that beach has been destroyed because somewhere in Tobago, there is somebody who feels that the way to go about development in Tobago is to build as much structures on the beach… that is not how we go about development. Stay away from the beach from and do the development inland and let the beauty of the beaches be Tobago’s heritage,” he added.

In a telephone interview on Monday, Quashie said it was time that persons elected to serve, listen to the people on the ground.

“It is really not looking good and it is time enough for the THA to listen to the fishermen, listen to the people of Tobago and stop been bossy with people. It so shameful to see that your own fishermen cannot talk to you but here it is that the Prime Minister leaves Trinidad to come to Castara, to tell the whole Assembly and all listening that that building don’t suit here.

“I have vision, everybody has vision and it is time for the Assembly to sit down with the fishermen and before you build, let the fishermen have a voice and have a say in it,” he said.

Quashie reminded that prior to start of construction of the structure, several meetings were held but no one acknowledged the views of the men on the ground.

“We had meetings with the former Chief Secretary, the former Secretary of Fisheries, the former Secretary of Tourism, concerning this same issue and I told them, do not build the building like that. Build the building where the bottom could be in concrete and the upstairs in board to fit the whole atmosphere in Castara.

“Look at the buildings that we have in Castara. Yet you would put this big concrete jungle in front of the beach, big wall in front, everything looking so like a bomb shelter. It is naturally a disaster to Castara tourism, the village and everything in Castara,” Quashie said.