Fishermen Meet to Discuss Price of Lobster!
It’s June fifteenth, an important date on the calendar for fishermen. It means it is the start of the lobster season. But this year, fishermen are not happy about the price of lobster. You’ll recall we told you on Friday night that fishermen are looking at twelve dollars a pound; this is less than fifty percent of what they received for lobster last year. On Sunday, more than thirty fishermen from Sarteneja and Caye Caulker gathered on the island to discuss the matter, hoping for a solution to the low prices this season. They say they are simply not able to sustain their livelihoods at that price. Many of them put the blame on the cooperatives, but others pointed out that there are several factors that contribute to the low price. They are now demanding for the government to get involved to help control the price. Here’s a snippet of the meeting courtesy of The Voice of Caye Caulker.
Edwardo Arceo, Fisherman
“It is very important that the government of Belize acknowledge that the fishermen need to somehow standardized the prices because as far as I have heard from the fishermen is that the co-ops and the buyers are paying less than half of what they used to get and it is because of the situation and they are taking advantage of the situation. I believe that it is going to cripple the local economy. They have standardized prices of sugar, flour and rice. Why can’t they standardize the price of the seafood industry? Why the fishermen have to go out there for twelve dollars a pound? You need to catch three lobsters to get one pound. And that is the reality.”
Mr. Terry, Sarteneja Fisherman
“Every year, we give the government more than twenty million dollars. I think it is time the government pushes its hands inside the cooperatives because there is a lot of dirty things happening inside the cooperative. I hope everybody gets a good price. It is a pity that the cooperative that says they are working for the fisherman are taking advantage of us. The price is too low. They don’t realize they are hurting themselves because if they are paying twelve, they are opening the doors for others to come and buy for sixteen dollars and at the end of the day fishermen will go where the price is more and then the cooperative will collapse. With this price we have right now, at least you have to make twenty-five pounds of lobster to cover your expense and that is only to cover expense in a trip of five days; for food, gas, and everything you bring. If you bring only fifty pounds; twenty-five for expense and only twenty-five left to you and with twenty-five pounds with the price right now. It is fifteen dollars from Belize City to Sarteneja and I think thirty round trip from here to Belize – so only to go is one hundred dollars to go and come back from Sarteneja not including your food and drinks. So, that is the reality we are facing right now.”
During the meeting, the fishermen also spoke about the need to amend the cooperatives act, pointing out that the failure to do this has cost fishermen for years.
