WESTERN BUREAU:

Fishermen operating from the Pagee Beach in St Mary are calling on the Government to assist them with restarting their businesses, after suffering significant losses during Tropical Storm Gustav.

The fishermen told The Gleaner that they had lost more than 150 fish pots at sea when Gustav wreaked havoc on the parish.

On a regular fishing day, the men would set their pots at strategic locations at sea, making it easy for them to be relocated whenever they went to haul in their catch. But leading up to the tropical storm, they had to set the pots randomly.

"We did have to set di pots dem blind because di weather was too bad. Di majority a dem washed away," remarked Everton Bennett, one of the fishermen.

The men said they usually took precautionary steps to safeguard their vessels and fish pots whenever there was a storm threat, but said the sea was too rough and the water became murky when they tried to haul the pots into shore. They had no choice but to abandon them, hoping they would recover them after the storm, but that hope was dashed.

"This is the start of the fishing season and these fishermen have suffered a serious loss and at a crucial time. They really need assistance," said Stephen Chung, a popular businessman in Port Maria.

'Sea pirates' out

'Sea pirates', they say, further compound their troubles outside the threat of bad weather. "Di pirates dem plenty, so we have to set di pots dem under water because if we float dem, pirates haul dem by night," said one fisherman.

Facing such a significant loss, the fishermen are badly in need of help, but they are not confident that the Government will offer any assistance. "Twice we face similar situation and representatives came and collected our names, but to date, nothing has been done. Not even a roll of wire we don't get back," another fisherman interjected.

The fishermen are also calling on the Government to construct a facility to secure their fishing gear. According to them, items like canoes and gasolene, which have to be kept at home, are endangering the lives of their families.