Westmoreland fishermen protest plundering from Honduran 'pirates'

Several Westmoreland fishermen demonstrated on Monday morning against what they say is the continued theft of their catch by foreigners.

The group of about 40 fishermen from the Whitehouse Fishing Village, protested on the beach to press their demand for the government to assist them in their plight.

Honduran pirates.  That's how the Whitehouse fishermen are describing the persons responsible for hijacking their catch almost every week.

According to them the Hondurans travel across to their area between Friday and Sunday and steal their catch leaving them with nothing when they return to their pots on Monday:

“Di big boat dem from Honduras coming out on the bank here taking out the lobster from the pots.  Every night dem come up, three four boat a come pon the bank, tek out the lobster. We fraid because we nuh know whaty dem have.  Me out there one night already and if me never wake up and turn on me flashlight that boat come cross me and kill me.”

And it's not just their choice catch of lobsters that the fishermen claim the Hondurans are targeting but their lives as well.    

One fishermen told RJR News he resisted the attack on one occasion but was forced to flee:

“I caught some of them approximately three weeks ago in my pot set scuba diving into my traps.  And out of sheer frustration I had to attack them with a piece of hose. I take away a scuba diving tank and a paddle from one of the canoes.  The big boat in turn was chasing me, I eventually escaped from them anyway.” 

The fishermen are urging Fisheries Minister Roger Clarke and National Security Minister Peter Bunting to intervene.

They argue that the Coast Guard is not patrolling the area with the same intensity as it does during the closed lobster season.

Meanwhile chairman of the Jamaica Fishermen Cooperative Union, Havelan Honeyghan told RJR News he has already brought the plight of the fishermen to the attention of the authorities.

He says the problem has been a longstanding one, which has worsened in recent months.

But he charged that not enough is being done to protect the island's territorial waters: 

“I spoke to the Minister personally. We have spoken to the coast guard. I don’t believe enough is being done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Security and the Ministry of Agriculture, because when these information is passed on, they are sit on and swept under the blanket.”