| Date: Tue 05-Oct-1993 Publication: Daily Nation Writer: IT IS said that nothing ever remains the same, and this is no exception when it comes to fishing in Barbados. Many a fishermen can tell tales of changes at their favourite fishing bays across the island. In Conset Bay, St. John, one old-timer, Frank Taylor, said even the character of the scenic rural bay has changed. For one thing the old jetty was replaced about four years ago, and he said the surrounding areas have become more developed. He added that there are now more fishermen based at Conset Bay now than in past years. At the moment there are 30 boats there, ranging in size from 20 feet to 35 feet and each has a crew of two. When the Cross Country team stopped by Conset Bay, a group of fishermen were sitting around, sharing some old talk after carrying out repairs on their boats. "You every notice that you don't see no birds out in the sea now?" one asked. "Well lemme tell you why, they ain't got no fish to eat, fish scarce now, the fish ain't as plentiful as they used to be so the birds have nothing to eat," he added. "I does see a lot of birds over St. Vincent and all dem islands, that is where we fish gone," replied a man doing some boat repairs. Another fisherman of over 30 years experience said it has been over three years since he caught an Albacore, a type of tuna that sometimes weighs up to 300 pounds. He added that those were the days when fishermen would bring back a catch of six to ten thousand flying fish. "Nobody don't bring back no lotta a flying fish these days," he said. "And to make matters worse," another piped in, "the vendors don't want to pay the fishermen for the fish." "He right yeah, in fact sometimes vendors in town don't want to buy fish from us unless we sell it for less than the fishermen from around town," the boat repairer seconded. Yes, there are many complaints, but fishing is in their blood, and they plan to let it remain that way. |