Tufton and Nicholson

Opposition Senator Dr. Christopher Tufton said yesterday that the fishing industry in Jamaica was facing a crisis and urged the Government to address the concerns of the sector urgently.

Speaking in the Senate on Friday, Dr. Tufton asked Leader of Government Business, Senator A.J. Nicholson, to debate a motion dealing with the development of the sector.

In a quick response, Senator Nicholson said the resolution would be debated at an appropriate time.

However, his Opposition counterpart, Senator Anthony Johnson, was not satisfied with the reply and asked Senator Nicholson to give a more precise time when the debate would take place.

But Senator Nicholson repeated his earlier response.

The motion, which was moved more than a year ago by Dr. Tufton,fell off the order paper and was again reintroduced by him.

Delays in implementation

It pointed to delays in the implementation of pending legislation aimed at modernising and guiding the recovery and development of the industry.

The sector, which provides employment to approximately 40,000 fishermen and supports more than 300,000 Jamaicans, has been experiencing a steady decline in terms of catch, weight and quality over the years.

According to the motion, the cost to operate the fishing industry has also seen a significant increase with less than a corresponding increase in revenues.