The fishermen at Buccament Beach express a sense of disorientation and perceived inequality, since it seems that no measures have been taken to accommodate their needs amidst the rapid progress of tourism development in the area.
Although several individuals displayed hesitancy in appearing on camera, Francis Lewis, also known as ‘Papa B,’ exhibited no reservations in articulating his viewpoints.
According to Francis, the fishermen were provided with a single payment of $1400, and subsequent to that, no more developments have transpired. Francis expressed that acquiring the funds posed a significant challenge, even with his status as a licensed fisherman.
“Even someone who comes and says they pull the seine or say this is one of my crew got money, and the real fishermen ain’t got anything. For me to get money as a licensed fisherman, it was a real struggle. I had to go by the representative, go to National Fisheries, and nobody is doing anything for me”.
Francis informed the publication that the next big issue would be where fisherman will put their boats in times of disaster.
“There is no location for fisherman to place their engines, and no place to haul up your boat in case of bad weather. When the weather arrives, we use to pull them up right where the boutiques are being built, so if you have weather now, what will happen here? Where am I going to leave my boat once I’ve finished cleaning it? You now have no defense.”
View Francis Story Below.
