At this hour in San Pedro, the Ministry of Blue Economy is hosting a public meeting with fisherfolk from the island to discuss a recent amendment to the Fisheries Act. The regulation that governs the tail weight of lobsters is set and it is now about compliance. But as the ministry is going around doing its public consultations, it is realizing that not all fishermen are in the know. The next stop is Placencia where fishermen from the south are to be engaged this Friday, but today in Independence Village, News Five found about twenty fishermen echoing the sentiments of the fishermen from Sarteneja, who believe that their livelihoods are at stake.
The fishing community in Independence Village and surrounding areas converged to discuss the regional lobster regulation by OPESCA, the Organization of Fisheries and Agriculture in Central America. The regulation changes the approved weight of lobster tails to four point five ounces. While the change may be only an additional half an ounce, the fishers say it has a huge impact on their bottom-line.