ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Amid increasing concerns over how government has handled the management of the twin islands’ marine resources, fisheries minister Hilson Baptiste announced on Monday that he will approve the draft regulations governing the crucial sector.
The minister told OBSERVER Media, cognisant of his responsibilities, he will act to ensure that only the best regulations are approved.
To that end, Baptiste disclosed that he recently began putting a committee together to review the draft that has remained unsigned for more than five years.
“As I speak to you I am putting a committee together to go over the regulations to ensure that everybody agrees and are willing to comply with it,” he said.
“Everybody the regulations are going to affect must be part of the debate.”
The minister said all stakeholders will be engaged by the committee which will be headed by Chief Fisheries Officer Cheryl Jeffrey-Appleton and will commence work from Monday.
Baptiste expects that it will not be long after the committee meets for the regulations to receive his signature.
“It could not have happened before because I was travelling for the last two weeks. We will meet on Monday and go over it and after one week or so regulations would be in place.”
Baptiste has been the centre of criticism in recent months for not doing enough to see the regulations through, but he thinks the criticism is politically motivated.
“Why are people just making it a problem? People are just putting politics in everything,” he said.
“Why would I not want the regulations if I put a committee in place to look at it?”
He has also dismissed a petition by the Antigua Conservation Association (ACS) calling on government to fast-track the fisheries regulations as a “waste of time.”
Fears of over fishing and harmful practices have prompted calls for the implementation of the fisheries regulations in recent weeks.
Lobster, and more recently the parrotfish, are among species that interest groups believe are under threat because of dangerous practices aided and abetted by outdated fisheries regulations.
If implemented, the new regulations will give authorities the power to effect a closed season for fishing and crack down on illegal practices in the sector.
(More in today’s Daily OBSERVER)
I wish that I could say that I understood what the good minister was saying. He seem to think that setting up a committee is the answer.
I was always told that a camel was designed by a committee and we all knw what came of that.
The bottom line is that we need to do something about the unregulated fishing that goes on in Antigua and the failour to manage the fish stock.
I have been saying for years that we need to ban the use of fish pots and net fishing in some areas of the coast and the best place to start is the National park. This ban should last for 3 years and then reviewed to see what the effect is on the fish stock.
A lot of people would object to this but I am sure that they will get used to it after they see the result.
A committee? No.
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Enact the legislation and stop making this a political issues.
Consultations have been had and your predecessor was assured by the Attorny General that it would have been enacted into law by the end of the first sitting of Parliament of 2006.
“Act with vision and commitment, given that the scarcest resource of all, time, is running out.” Minister Hilson Baptiste in Caibareana today !!
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These Ministers think they were voted into power for their benefit and their benefit alone. Once they’re done with reviewing the regulations very few will stand. It will be a pathetic list of nothing. He wants to make sure he and his cronies get all the votes the next time around. We have to demonstrate. This man has shown time and time again that he is an IGNORANT cretin.
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I just want to say that I do not even know if Mr. Baptiste is affiliated with ALP or UPP. That does not matter to me. What matters is that these comments he made are insulting to our intelligence. How can he come out and say that he cares about the regulations (“Why would I not want the regulations if I put a committee in place to look at it?”) when after 5 YEARS nothing had been done, and is only now getting looked at due to the recent news and public pressure.
He is stating that it is a political attack. Every article in the newspaper, blogs and the online protest has been about the current issues we are seeing due to the lack of regulations that have not been looked at. Saying that this is a political attack is just trying to divert attention from the fact that Mr. Baptiste DIDN’T DO HIS JOB FOR 5 YEARS”
I have been to many meetings in the fisheries division and almost every time, we came up with plans and ideas to further the goal of the fisheries division, but would always come back to the fact that they were being held back by not having any power the regulations would give them. Therefore, not looking at the regulations has also held back many of the workers in the division. How much time has been wasted, money spent on salaries, while they waited for these regulations to do their jobs properly.
Examine the regulations now, but do not think that we will be happy with you afterwards, you have already shown how little you care.
Ok, now I am going to go look up which party Mr. Baptiste is affiliated with.
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Irresponsible, time consuming, verbal flatulence, mismanaged, and more nonsense then I can stand. Another committee with none of the credentialed persons needed to review this matter. I don’t see one single marine biologist on this review panel.
It could not have happened because you were traveling? Where were you for the past 8 year’s outer space?
How dare you talk to us like little children with your weak shallow excuses with no substance just your political dribble, you have dismissed the very group of persons that is motivated and concerned as if we are clueless dolts. This has been at your desk for years now and you have played into the hands of a few misinformed fisher folks that no one has taken the time to explain to them that this is for benefit of everyone including and especially them. No fish, no money it’s that simple.
I challenge you to go out there and see the effects, no I dare you! You can’t swim we will carry you and make sure you are safe so you can tell everyone firsthand how wrong you have been.
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Clearly there was a reason we have petitioned the Prime Minister on this issue. Anyway, the petition we keep referring to is http://www.change.org/petitions/prime-minister-hon-baldwin-spencer-take-action-now-to-save-antigua-barbuda-s-coral-reefs
Some noticeable marine management with these very good new laws will help fishers and everyone else.
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politically motivated. Ha! The only politician that I have invited to sign the petition is John Maginley since tourism pumps way more money into the economy through the use of the marine eco system than the entire fishing industry and I figured that the minister should be involved in this discussion. Remember Brother B is the Minister who went to Cabinet and pushed through an executive order which commanded the relevant authorities to ignore the law on spear fishing. It is now permissable to break the law thanks to the Fisheries Minister. This is something that outraged the Chief Fisheries officer. Also take note that when I was President of the Antigua and Barbuda Excursions Alliance back in 2004/5 our group met with the Minister to speak about getting environmental protection for key spots which are used by most excursion operators. We invited him to come and see them. His reply was that because he couldn’t swim, he had no interest at all in being out on the water. This man is going to make sure the regulations are sensible and not his educated fisheries officers?
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