BY SACHA WALTERS, Staff Reporter
THE POLICE SAY that they have been arresting on average three to five person per day for fishing in unauthorised sections of the sea.
According to Sergeant Vanessa Clarke of the Marine Division these persons are held for the offence of fishing in the ship's channel.
Fishermen venture into the unauthorised areas because they can get a bigger catch. "I would imagine that they would get more fish because its deeper," said Sergeant Clarke.
According to one fisherman who appeared before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court for the offence, he saw the ship but he was not in its way.
Seamen are aware when they are entering unauthorised zones as all the channels are marked by beacons according to Sergeant Clarke.
She admitted that it is not often that fishermen get into serious difficulty when the rule is not obeyed, but this could be attributed to the fact that the waters are always surveyed.
"...There have been instances where it has happened like recently when a small boat almost got ran over by a ship," she said.
However, other problems can arise.
She said because the nets are left overnight they get entangled in the ship's propeller and that is very costly and it is the country's responsibility to keep our waters safe for local and overseas vessels to enter. If these incidents keep on occurring then people will not consider our waters safe and will not want to enter.
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