Dennis awaits report on cost of Castara Fishing Facility

TWO days after the Castara Fishing Facility was officially opened by Chief Secretary and Secretary of Fisheries Ancil Dennis, no information has been forthcoming on how much taxpayers have paid for the facility.

The five-year project was commissioned on Sunday with a short ceremony.

During the ceremony, neither Dennis nor Division of Food Production, Forestry and Fisheries administrator Wendell Bernard disclosed the final cost of the project in their remarks.

Immediately after the ceremony, electoral representative for Parlatuvier/L’Anse Fourmi/Speyside Farley Augustine called for full disclosure on the cost of the facility.

Contacted on Tuesday, Dennis said, “Unfortunately, I don’t have the details on the final cost as yet. I am still awaiting it from the project managers, and I don’t want to give an inaccurate figure."

The facility has been long in waiting for Castara's fisherfolk.

In April 2013, a temporary fishing facility was constructed for use by the fishermen ahead of construction of a permanent facility.

However, there has been criticism of the site used for the permanent facility.

In 2018, the Prime Minister, at an event at the Scarborough Library, said the fishing depot had destroyed the beach.

He advised the assembly to “stay away from the beach and do the development inland, and let the beauty of the beaches be Tobago’s heritage.”

Junior Quashie, former vice-president of the Castara Fishermen Association, had agreed with Dr Rowley's assessment of the facility.