Say Official Restrictions Cutting Into Their Profits.
By Kingsley Emmanuel
A call has been made for the fisheries regulations to be revamped because of its effect on the profitability of the St. Lucia Fish Marketing Corporation, and by extension, lobster fishers, whose main market is the corporation.
The call came from some key players in the fishing industry and lobster fishers.
Since the opening of the lobster season on August 1, lobster fishers have complained that a reduction in the buying price of lobster is affecting the profitability of their operations.
When the season opened earlier this month, the St. Lucia Fish Marketing Corporation had approximately 700 pounds of lobster in stock which it had purchased last year. But when the season closed it could not sell because the fisheries regulations prohibit the sale of lobster during the closed season. And now that the season has reopened, the corporation has a challenge getting rid of its old stock because the market is flooded with fresh lobsters.
The situation has forced the corporation to reduce its purchase price of lobster from $15.00 per pound to $12.00.
The VOICE understands that an attempt has been made by the corporation to have the fisheries department revisit the regulations to allow the corporation to sell its old stock during the closed season, but to no avail.
“The regulations need to change…We still have lobster we bought last year in our possession,” a source at the corporation told The VOICE.
The fisheries regulations state in part: “No person shall fish for, remove from the fishery water, give, or at any time have in his possession, expose for sale, sell or purchase any lobster between the February 28 to July 31 in every year, or as otherwise stated by the Ministry by notice published in the Gazette and in a newspaper which is printed or circulated in the state.”
According to the fisheries regulations, an undersized lobster is less than 9.5 centimetres in carapace length measured from the ridge at the base of the horns to the end of the carapace (back shell); or if its tail has been removed, a tail weight of less than 340 grammes (12 ounces).
However, in other OECS countries a lobster is deemed undersized at a length less than 9.5 centimetres.
The St. Lucia Fish Marketing Corporation has another concern. It is very much dissatisfied with the tendency of some lobster fishers to sell mainly to hotels and only sell to the corporation when the hotels have no need for supplies.
Albert Edmund who has been a lobster fisher for over 30 years said he has experienced bad times in the past, but this year has been the worst.
“The government needs to look into the fisheries regulations because it is seriously affecting our livelihood…The St. Lucia Fish Marketing Corporation is my main market,” Edmund said.
He said whenever he tries to sell his lobsters to the corporation or hotels, the only reply he gets is: “We have enough.”
According to Edmund the situation is very distressing.
“It is not easy to get out of your bed at midnight to go out at sea…and sometimes when you get to your fish pots you realized that it is stolen. The undersized lobsters we leave in the pots to grow are on numerous occasions also stolen,” Edmund lamented.