Carli Bay fishermen threatened, boats burned

President of the Carli Bay Fishing Association Imtiaz Khan is once again calling for protection at sea for his members after they were threatened and their vessels vandalised and set on fire.

Khan said their nets have been cut and their lives threatened by masked, armed men who prevent them from fishing at certain points.

While fishing near Anchorage in Chaguaramas, fishermen were again threatened and stoned and had to leave.

He said they feel like “sitting ducks” because their pleas to the authorities have fallen on deaf ears.

Since the incident in which seven Orange Valley fishermen were kidnapped and killed in 2019, Khan said, fishermen and their families are terrified for them to continue with the trade, from which they earn their livelihood.

He said the association has written to the Director of Fisheries and reported the problem to the Coast Guard, but the threats continue.

Couva North MP Ravi Ratiram visited Carli Bay to see one of the boats which was set on fire and others which were vandalised on Monday.

He reported, “The guys are scared to go out. There is a high level of uneasiness. They have been threatened by masked, armed men, with their heads tied with bandanas.

“There has been no response from the Coast Guard. When these guys leave Carli Bay they fish across the gulf, going to Marabella and Chaguaramas, where ever the fish is in abundance. The threat is mainly at Chaguaramas, with one or two incidents at Marabella as well.”He wrote to National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds asking for an urgent meeting to discuss matters of safety and security of the fisherfolk, their assets and livelihood.

In his letter, Ratiram told Hinds this was the second such attack within a week that has taken place at the Carli Bay Fishing facility: “a facility that remains under constant threat from the criminal element largely because of the absence of security measures.”

He said on Tuesday he had not yet received a response from Hinds.

“I called him but I got no answer. I will call him again on Wednesday. Hinds did not respond to calls and text messages sent to him.