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Momodou
Denmark
11742 Posts |
 Posted - 29 Oct 2007 : 15:02:05
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The Outcry Of The Fisher Folk
A Risky Business With Little Profit
By Amie Sanneh
Fisherfolk in Brufut have been complaining about the problems hampering their work in fishing for a long time now.
In an interview with Foroyaa in Brufut, one Maloum Mbye, a boat owner lamented the constant stealing of fishing nets. This, Maloum said, is their main problem. He explained that normally when they go out fishing, they spread their nets overnight to enable them catch many fish. Maloum said when they spread out their nets at night other fishermen in The Gambia and even some from Senegal would steal their catch by cutting their nets which are spread in the river and take them away with fish trapped in the nets.
Maloum, however, said they experience great losses when such incidents occur. He admitted that nets are very expensive and that they have complained this to the Fisheries Office in Brufut but to no avail.
He explained that when factory owners collect their fish supply from them, they (the fishermen) find it difficult to get their money as the transaction is normally done on a credit basis.
Mbye described the fishing expedition as a risky one and without much profit. He said for one fishing expedition, they buy five gallons of petrol (20 litres) at D150 per gallon, which works out to D750. The highest number of people that go out fishing is four.
He therefore appealed to banks to open branches in Brufut on the seafront adding that this will be of immense help to them; that this will enable them access to loans and opportunity to save their monies in a bank.
He finally called on the government to help them with security to avoid the constant theft of their nets, which is of great concern to them.
Gibbi Secka, who has 10 years fishing experience, also complained of stolen nets. He said even if you identify your net after it has been stolen, the individual would deny stealing it or would say “I met it in the river.”
Commenting on the price of petrol, he noted that in their area vendors do not reduce the price of petrol even if a price reduction is announced, but would not hesitate to increase it the moment there is a price increase. Secka noted that the reason why this is so is because there is no competition; that it is only one person who is selling gasoline there.
“We don’t have any help’ he said. He also appealed for access to bank loans.
Other people I spoke to echoed similar concerns.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 127/2007, 29 – 30 October
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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