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AEndel Daniel has been fishing in Trinidad and Tobago’s territorial waters for more than 30 years. During that time, he has noticed a significant decline in the number of flying fish in his own Caribbean waters.
Cleaning his catch at Buku Wharf after a morning fishing trip, he blamed the shortage on the Barbados and Venezuela into Tobago waters.
“It takes 10 Tobago ships to carry what one Barbados ship can carry,” Daniel said. Caribbean He sounded a note of caution about the Barbadians’ approach, saying it was unsustainable.
“Barbadian fishermen freeze their catch at sea and return to Barbados when the fish are full,” he said, referring to the fly-fishing season from November to July. “The way we fish in Tobago is sustainable and does not destroy fishing grounds.”
Complaints like those of Daniel have become more frequent in Trinidad and Tobago, exacerbating a dispute that has lasted more than 50 years. In the 1970s, the two countries began to fight over oil and gas extraction and their respective territorial waters and exclusive economic zoneextending further.
In 1982, both countries signed United Nations Convention on the Law of the SeaHowever, tensions between Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago over fishing zones persisted until both parties signed the Fisheries Agreement 1990
The agreement limits the number of vessels permitted to fish in Tobago’s territorial waters and sets a maximum number of catches per fishing season and fees per vessel. However, Barbados refused to renew the agreement after the first year because it was not in its interest.
At the beginning of the 21st century, 2 countries When aggravated Migration patterns of flying fish begin to change – maybe it’s because Climate crisis causes water temperatures to riseAccording to researchers.
Schools of flying fish, once abundant in the waters around Barbados, began to move hundreds of miles south into Tobago waters.
Because they have long Making a living by flying fishBarbadian vessels then began fishing along the shoals, violating Tobago’s sovereignty and clashing with locals who competed for the catch.
Since flying fish are also commonly used to catch larger pelagic species such as mackerel, marlin and tuna, the decline in flying fish has resulted in a reduction in the number of larger, more profitable species that can be caught, which has also affected the income of Tobago’s fishing communities.
Dispute Submitted Arbitration Court The 2004 World Congress in The Hague Rejected the Barbados Government’s arguments It should have access to Trinidad and Tobago waters because its vessels have been fishing near Tobago and restricting the rights of Barbadians there.
But the problem has not gone away. Since November, Tensions between the two countries’ authorities and representatives of the fishing associations began after the All Tobago Fishermen’s Association (ATFA) protested against increased fishing activities by Barbadians in Tobago’s waters.
Farley Augustine, United Kingdom Tobago House of Representativesor
The head of the island’s government described the decades-long fishing standoff as a family feud that could escalate further if not resolved.
“The teeth and tongue clash because they are relatives living under the same roof,” Augustine said, using a Caribbean metaphor. “It’s natural. We clash because we are family.”
The issue concerns not only Tobago’s sovereignty over its territorial waters, but also the sustainability of fisheries in the Caribbean.
Fisheries officials from both countries met in November to discuss the issue and make a suggestion Collect data to find out why flying fish populations are declining.
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Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley agreed to the study after a meeting. Caribbean CommunityRegional Single Market Group, where Tobago fishermen expressed concerns about the fishing practices of Barbadians.
Augustine said that at the CARICOM meeting, ATFA expressed its willingness to “share” flying fish with its Barbadian counterparts, as long as it was “done in a responsible manner”.
“Fishing is not a free activity and therefore Barbadian fishermen must fish responsibly,” he said.
ATFA is an umbrella organization representing eight fishing groups in Tobago. According to its president, Curtis Douglas, the organization has about 1,000 members, including part-time and full-time fishermen, suppliers, small-scale processors and other players in the value chain.
The disparity in the size of the fishing enterprises in Tobago and Barbados has also fueled the dispute: Tobago fishermen use small boats called “canoes” and catch a whole fish a day, while Barbadian vessels in Tobago waters (called “iceboats”) are larger and can travel farther out to sea and stay there longer because they can preserve their catch.
ATFA Vice President Junior Quashie said Tobago fishermen have no objection to Barbadians operating in Tobago’s exclusive economic zone. “We communicate, they help us and we help them,” he said, referring to emergencies at sea and meetings on shore when they socialize. However, he insisted that their methods were “unsustainable.”
“The Barbadians swarmed us and we couldn’t fish like we usually do because their boats are bigger and they fish day and night while we only fish during the day. When they fish at night, the lights attract all the flying fish (to their boats),” Kwasi said.
Barbadians tend to use 10- to 12-meter (30- to 40-foot) hanging nets, while Tobago fishermen rely on hand-held lines, he said. They usually work in teams of two and often return to port in the afternoon after setting out at dawn, he added.
“We don’t know how much fish is being shipped to Barbados,” Quasi said. “We need to know the data, and we’ve been asking for it for a long time.”
Augustine said the new research will help clarify whether the perceived decline in flying fish is due to overfishing or the climate crisis. The oil and gas industry, key to Trinidad and Tobago’s economy, has also been considered a possible cause.
The Guardian contacted Barbadian officials and the Barbados National Union of Fishermen’s Organisations but did not receive an interview request. Barbados’ chief fisheries officer, Shelly-Ann Cox, also declined to comment.
Douglas said the decline in flying fish has also affected downstream industries, with fast food restaurants such as KFC and Royal Castle (a Trinidad and Tobago chain) no longer offering flying fish on their menus due to unstable supply, which has left some processors in trouble.
Sandy Roopchand, general manager of Royal Castle Restaurants, said the chain’s flying fish sandwich was discontinued in 2005 because it couldn’t guarantee supply.
Augustine believes that the 1973 Caribbean Community Treaty grants freedom of movement to all CARICOM nationals. Treaty of Chaguaramasdoes not mean that fishermen from Barbados can exploit Tobago’s waters.
Augustine argued that while the treaty gave CARICOM nationals the freedom to work in each other’s countries, it did not mean “exploiting each other’s resources”.
“If that were true, it would mean Barbados could start drilling for oil in Trinidad and Trinidadian farmers could go to Guyana to cultivate the land,” he said.
Tobago leaders hope that based on recently released research, the two sides can reach an agreement to allow Barbadians to fish with licenses as they did in 1990.
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