News
Unlicensed fishers
Audit finds 89% of fishermen have no permit; 96% of vessels unregistered
Friday, February 13, 2009
EIGHTY-NINE per cent of the island's registered fishermen are operating without a licence, a probe by the Office of the Auditor General has found.
In a 2008 audit report, tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the Auditor General's Department said of the approximately 17,552 registered fishers at May 2008, only 1,928 were licensed a "non-compliance rate of 89 per cent". In addition it said of the 4,719 vessels registered only 187 were licensed - a non-compliance rate of 96 per cent.
The department said discussions with fishermen from four beaches, however, showed that most felt that since there was "no strict enforcement policy, acquisition of a licence was not deemed a priority".
The fishermen further admitted that it cost less to pay the related fines for fishing without a licence than to spend a day waiting for the licensing and registration officers.
Further examination showed that none of the 256 registered boats at the Alligator Pond, Annotto Bay, Lucea, Discovery Bay or Falmouth beaches were licensed.
The Licensing and Registration Unit of the Fisheries Division, in responding to the Auditor General's findings, said efforts were being made to improve the compliance rate for the registration and licensing of fishers and boats.
It also said related penalties in the proposed revised Fishing Act would be substantially increased to further help to reduce the level of non-compliance but was unable to say when this would be enforced.
The division said, however, that in the strictest sense it had no legal authority to compel registered fishers to either re-license themselves or their boats.
"Our legal authority can only be enforced when fishers are found fishing without a licence. Thus a critical issue here is enforcement," it said.
Under the Fishing Industry Act all vessels and persons must be registered and licensed to carry out any form of fishing activity. Failure on the part of an individual to obtain a fishing licence attracts a fine of not more than $1,000 or 12 months in prison. Using an unlicensed boat attracts a fine not exceeding $200 or up to six months imprisonment.
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