Dr. Christopher Tufton - Opposition Senator and caretaker Member of Parliament for South-west St. Elizabeth
"Two years ago, I discovered that they were really an industry or a sector or a group of persons who were in decline as a result of the decline in economic activity within the industry.
Of course, in attempting to represent them, I did some follow up to look at the industry generally and started to talk to a number of the stakeholders, both the environmentalist, as well as, (and) persons directly involved with fisheries.
I discovered to a large extent that the industry was in fact in decline, there was a lack or apparent lack of coherent strategy as it relates to how to deal with the decline as it was taking place. The Government appeared to have abandoned the industry, abandoned is too strong a word, because I made the comment earlier that the Fisheries (Division) generally, which of course forms part of the Ministry of Agriculture, seem to be a sort of bastard child, an unwanted bastard child of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Fisheries Division, seems to lack the capacity to implement any coherent strategy; I believe that they lack, perhaps the will, but I would say they lack capacity in terms of the supporting infrastructure, supporting resources and a manifestation of that is the legislation which has been work in progress for the last fifteen years, which should be on the table, (but) has not been on the table despite consultations that have taken place, despite a policy document that was published in 2004 which is yet to reach Cabinet for discussion and approval so that the process can move forward.
All of this combined added to the fact that the industry has declined in terms of catch by somewhere in the region of 40 - 60 per cent when you talk to the industry players over the last five years, both in terms of catch/weight (and) catch quality. When you combine all of that, what you find is an industry which is haemorrhaging significantly and no apparent direction or course of action to correct that."
