Feb 25 - GSD Criticises Government for 'Permitting Hauls of Fish to be Netted Illegally'
The GSD has criticised the Government today for ‘permitting hauls of fish to be netted illegally’ in BGTW, despite their 2011 manifesto commitment to ‘ensure the ban on the use of drift nets and other nets’.
The party touches upon recent reports of Spanish fishing trawlers hauling in nets of fish in the area of the artificial reef.
Commenting on the matter, a party spokesperson said, ‘If the expressed purpose of laying the artificial reef was to regenerate fish stocks, why is Government permitting hauls of fish to be netted illegally in that area? It would appear that, far from having “an additional benefit”, as stated by the Chief Minister, of preventing Spanish commercial fishermen from continuing with the illegal practice of fishing with nets, the artificial reef may turn out to be an additional bounty for them.
The present, untenable situation begs the question as to how many more hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money will be expended in fishing reports, assets and personnel before the GSLP/Liberal administration is capable of delivering its promise to the electorate of immediately stopping fishing with nets in BGTW?’
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