Three and a half years after the devastating 2021 volcanic eruption in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, fishers across Central Leeward and South Windward have finally received critical fishing supplies that had sat locked in government storage since 2022. The long-overdue equipment, which includes essential gear such as rope, flotation devices, and fish pot wire, has been distributed to fishing communities across Buccament, Layou, Shipping Bay, and Barrouallie as part of this week’s handover events. The unclaimed supplies were originally earmarked for a post-eruption recovery initiative launched by the former Unity Labour Party (ULP) government, which was voted out of national office in last November’s general election. According to reporting from iWitness News, the gear was never distributed to the intended fisher recipients due to public infighting between at least two ULP cabinet ministers during the previous administration’s term. Conroy Huggins, who serves as both Member of Parliament for Central Leeward and the head of the new Ministry of Fisheries under the newly elected New Democratic Party (NDP) administration, made the remarks during an official handover ceremony held in Bottle and Glass, Barrouallie. Huggins explained that the now-defunct recovery program was designed from its inception to help fishing communities rebuild their livelihoods after the 2021 volcanic eruption, which caused widespread disruption to the local fishing industry. “Sadly, they were not distributed to the fishers within the time span,” Huggins told attendees at the ceremony. After winning office and learning of the years-long delay in delivering the critical supplies, Huggins said he immediately directed ministry staff to cut through bureaucratic hold-ups and get the gear to the fishers who needed it. “It’s long overdue. It is something that they should have had at least three, four years ago… So today, we have been doing these distributions,” he added. The fisheries chief also noted that fish pot fishing is a common traditional practice in Barrouallie, making the fish pot wire included in the shipment particularly useful for local fishers. The distribution is being held as a key event during the country’s annual Fisheries Month celebrations, which lead up to the 49th National Fisherman’s Day on May 25. Huggins framed the handover of backlogged recovery supplies as a perfect opportunity to highlight a stark difference in governing philosophy between the new NDP administration and the former ULP government. “And this is essentially the difference between the previous administration and this present administration,” he said. “We are operating on efficiency and delivery. We are about people. So whatever forms of benefits that the fishers are entitled to, we will ensure that they are able to receive this in a timely manner, so that they can be able to recover, operate and move forward with their business.” While he used the delay under the previous government to draw political contrasts, Huggins also acknowledged that the new administration faces a massive backlog of work to repair and upgrade fisheries infrastructure across all of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, from central ministry headquarters to small local fishery centers in remote coastal communities. “We have quite a lot of work to do in the fishery sector,” he said. Huggins added that the ongoing shifts in the national fisheries sector have drawn significant attention from local, regional, and international stakeholders, framing the current policy adjustments as a once-in-a-generation shift for the industry. “We are confident that we can maximise our ocean [and] improve the livelihoods of our fishers,” Huggins said. “So from a fisheries standpoint, we are here to facilitate and ensure that the capacity building takes place and the necessary equipment, tools that they need. We are here to give that support.”
Volcano-affected fishers get equipment ULP stored since 2022
