Parlatuvier fishermen have been in an upbeat mood since Sunday when it was announced that a new fishing depot will be built. The announcement was made by Chief Secretary and area representative, Farley Augustine.
Augustine was speaking at a graduation ceremony hosted by the All Tobago Fisher Folk Association at Turtle Beach.
He said the THA executive council has approved and signed off on the depot, which will cost $1.5 million, minus furnishing. It is expected to be completed before the end of the year.
Additional funding will be sourced to fund a commercial-grade ice machine, equipment to process fish waste and other necessities, according to Augustine.
Darlington Chance, president of the Parlatuvier Fishing Association, who was present at the graduation function, said, 'Our membership is ecstatic. This is very great because we need it.
'I became president of the association in 2014, and we have been clamouring for this long before my time.
'Fishing is the primary industry in Parlatuvier; people come here from all over Tobago to buy fish and we don't have a place to store anything.'
Chance said his members are adamant that they should be consulted before the start of construction, so that their ideas could be taken into consideration.
'We do not want a situation like what presently exists in Tobago, where depots are built and the fishermen are not consulted and they do not use them because it does not serve their needs."
Chance said the Hope fishing depot is an example of what happens when stakeholders are ignored.
"They told us if they are in the building, people do not see their fish and they don't get good sales.
'So they have to sell their fish outside of the building where people passing can see them. So, that is just waste money, because it was not built with the fishermen in mind.'
Chance spoke of some of the problems endured by his members on a daily basis and some of the expectations of his members.
'We have nowhere to store and clean fish, we have to go all the way to Roxborough to get fuel. Some fishermen have built galvanised shacks to store their bait and tackles, which is taking away from the beauty of the sea-front.
"The Division of Tourism workers who control the toilet facilities work from 8 am to 4 pm, and the return of the fishing boats from sea, and the selling of fish, is most active between 4pm-6pm. So, when the workers leave, it creates serious problems.'
He said the depot should have an office space, ice machine, cupboards, sinks, tackle shop, fuel station and processing area.
He said a new jetty is also required.
'All we want is to be able to clean and prepare our fish in a decent manner with proper health protocols.'
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