The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business 
Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Commercial Fishers Alliance (BCFA) will continue to push the Government to grant fuel concessions for commercial fishermen, its president telling Tribune Business yesterday that such a move could increase their profits by up to 40 per cent.

The fuel concession issue, according to Adrian LaRoda, was one of several noted in a list of proposals that the organisation intends to submit to the Government to help better manage the fishing industry.

“Fuel cost is the major factor in any fishing operation because we don’t get any concession on fuel. We have been pushing the Government to allow for some form of concession for fuel comparable to what commercial fishermen in Florida would ge,t where fuel from the tank to the boat is bought at basically 60 per cent of what the retail cost is,” said Mr Laroda.

He added: “We haven’t gotten that yet. Hopefully at some point we will begin negotiations again with the Government. The previous government had flat out refused.

“Hopefully, moving forward we could have this discussion again in the whole gambit of proposals that we are going to send to the Government for the better management of the industry. Fuel cost is the biggest cost of any operation, so some form of concession would mean greater profitability to fishing operations, as much as 40 per cent. It will make fisheries products cheaper for our domestic market. When you consider the fuel costs, a lot of businesses now are really operating at a loss.”

Mitchell Lay, head of the Antigua and Barbuda Fisheries Alliance, and chairman of the Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Organisations, who headed a one-day session on fisheries management yesterday, told Tribune Business that the high cost of fuel was a major issue for fishermen across the Caribbean.

“Fuel is the major costs for most of us fisher folk, and fuel is something we have no control over. That cost is significant throughout the Caribbean and that is a major concern,” said Mr Lay.