kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
Although authorities had pledged to work closely with the fishing communities of Carli Bay and Orange Valley following the tragic murders of five members in 2019, fishermen said not much has happened since.
As a result, they said tragedies such as the death of Carli Bay fisherman Parasram Boodoo and the disappearance of his colleague Navindra Garib continue.
President of the Carli Bay Fishing Association Imtiaz Khan said yesterday that he has the documents from plans in 2019 to make the fishing industry safer for members.
There were four crews on pirogues searching the Gulf of Paria for Garib yesterday.
His family was at the bay hoping for some news but there was no success up to mid-afternoon. Garib and Boodoo left Carli Bay on Monday in search of a catch.
However, they did not return home and their pirogue was found ashore in Granville, Cedros. Police also recovered the missing boat engine.
At 4.45 pm on Wednesday, Couva police, led by Sgt Rawlins, went near the Point Lisas Industrial Development Company, where they met officers attached to the Coastal and Riverine Unit.
The marine officers reported that they had discovered human remains floating in the Gulf of Paria.
They retrieved the body and subsequently brought it to shore, suspecting it to be Boodram’s body. Boodram’s family confirmed the identification at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday.
Boodram and Garib’s incident came near the anniversary of another painful incident in the Carli Bay community. Sometime after midnight on July 22, 2019, pirates attacked several Carli Bay and Orange Valley fishing pirogues in the Gulf.
They beat and threw the fishermen into the water before stealing their engines and vessels.
While some, fortunately, swam back to shore, five drowned and two others remained missing. Police charged a Sea Lots man with their murders. They also charged two women and another man with stealing two of the engines, which they recovered in Sea Lots hours after the attack.
Police were able to track the stolen engines because they had GPS devices.
Three weeks later, police and Coast Guard members met with the fishing community to discuss how to make the trade safer.
Fishermen made several recommendations, including access to flare guns. They also asked that the government provide radar equipment to help capture pirates and improve the communication and response by the Coast Guard to distress calls.
Responding to the concerns, Lt Commander Torino Tracy advised that when fishermen are going to sea, they should inform the Coast Guard about the number of vessels launched and their destination so that security vessels can patrol those areas.
Khan said the same team at the meeting was supposed to work with the fishermen to get their proposals to the government. However, they are still waiting.