SLOPPINESS by successive Attorneys General Faris Al Rawi and Reginald Armour would bring more pressure on Trinidad and Tobago’s already-suffering fishermen.
Several million dollars worth of fish is exported to countries of the European Union each year, but now that is in danger of being cancelled because T&T has not updated laws to ensure the monitoring of illegal fishing.
A final decision on the matter is to be taken by the European Union (EU), but already T&T has been issued a “red card.”
The EU gave a warning as far back as 2016 about illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, but the Rowley Government took no action.
T&T is also being accused of not regulating activities in its territorial waters” and of “other persistent deficiencies.”
The observation by the EU is consistent with repeated reports of piracy, drug trafficking and other illegal activities in T&T’s waters.
The coastline remains porous, and there is transshipment of illegal drugs and migrants.
The United States Department of State and other international agencies have reported on the lack of proper monitoring and surveillance.
The EU said that illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing is “one of the most serious threats to the sustainable exploitation of living aquatic resources.”
T&T has been classified as an “uncooperative country.”
If the EU vetoes imports from T&T, it would be a further blow to local fishermen, who are already dealing with on-sea piracy, high cost of fuel, and vandalism at their respective depots.
Under the stewardship of Al Rawi and Armour, T&T has also defaulted on other major international commitments.
T&T is on the EU Commission Tax Blacklist for non-compliance.
Finance Minister Colm Imbert has said that measures are being taken to have the country removed from the blacklist, but these steps have not materialised.
In February 2020, T&T was removed from the Financial Action Task Force.
