Fishing associations want meeting with PM

The Carli Bay Fishing Association and members of the Orange Valley Pirogue Association, Brickfield Pirogue Association and Claxton Bay Pirogue Association say they will write the Prime Minister, seeking a meeting to discuss the non-importation of regular gasoline.

The fisherfolk say Government did not hold any consultations to discuss the impact of Petrotrin’s closure on the fishing industry, but their costs have skyrocketed since they now have to use super gasoline.

Members of the various associations held a protest at the Carli Bay fishing depot this morning.

In an interview, Carli Bay Fishing Association vice president Imtiaz Khan said previously a 20-gallon pan (or container) of regular gasoline cost $290 with fisherfolk usually using two pans along with motor oil.

“For the two-stroke engine, you need to put oil in the gas. But with the super (gasoline) the cost gone up to $520 for 20 gallons. Normally when you go out to fish, you take two pans, so with the regular it used to cost about $600. Now to go out with the super it is $1040.”

He said on a good day, a fisherman could return with either a 100 or 200-pound crate of fish and this would ensure he was able to pay himself, his work crew and purchase gas for the following day.

“But with super, with the same fish sometimes, you just break even or you come in at a loss and there are days when you don’t even catch. So if you go a couple days when you don’t catch fish and your expense is that kind of expense, and this is minimum because sometimes you have to go further, sometimes you have to go with more than 40 gallons.

“Now with regular, you could go and come back with that 40 gallons, now with the super it burning out halfway coming back so it really difficult to continue fishing.”