UPSET Scarborough fishermen say they will not longer bite on political bait ahead of the December 6 Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election.It's been over 15 years they have been clamouring for a suitable, secure and sanitary space for preparing fish. Instead, their old structure was demolished in 2015 and a temporary facility was built from old shipping containers.
The fishermen say they are tired of broken promises and will not listen to another word from Tobago politicians.
"We have heard it all, until we don't want it to hear anything any more," one fisherman told Newsday on Thursday as he struggled to keep flies away from pieces of fish placed on an old wooden table behind two deteriorating shipping containers, in Scarborough.
[caption id="attachment_919458" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Rust build up on unused sinks inside the Scarborough fishing depot. Photo by David Reid[/caption]
He said, "The (former) opposition pass here, showing us plans; other 'politicals' including the Chief Secretary come here to show up themselves. We crying for this facility for too long. They will come, make promise and still we won't see anything. Seeing that is the case, we don't want to hear from any of them.”
Another fisherman said, "Won’t make any sense asking them for anything in this election season. They will just fool us and leave."
Long before the construction of the temporary facility, the fishermen said they struggled with maintenance issues.
In 2014 the then Division of Agriculture, Marine Affairs, Marketing and the Environment distanced itself from the maintenance of the fishing depot.
[caption id="attachment_919460" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Inside the walk-in storage room located on the compound of the Scarborough fishing depot. The freezer stopped working months ago and is now being used as a storage facility. Photo by David Reid[/caption]
It said a contractor was engaged by the division to provide maintenance services for the Scarborough fish depot, Courland fish depot and Bon Accord play park. However, the division said then, "...due to the location of the Scarborough fish depot, the facility is more exposed to vandalism by vagrants and drug users" and "wear and tear caused by the high exposure to the elements."
Two years after the temporary facility was established, fishermen noted problems started to arise: dilapidated doors; a washroom facility broken into and being used by a homeless man; the security booth used as a storage area; malfunctioning air condition units; a rotten wooden table for handling fish; rust around the containers; and an unbearable stench around the facility.
Currently, the glass doors to the temporary structure are shattered, sinks are covered in rust an unusable, washrooms are in a deplorable condition and the walk-in freezer is now a regular storage room.
The fishermen said they received a notice months ago from the fisheries division advising them of plans to relocate to a 20x20 tent on the compound while upgrade works are started. No work has begun.
