BY THE TIME the next fishing season begins in November, a special protocol should be in place to ensure Barbadian fishermen are treated “in a humane way” if they enter Trinidad and Tobago waters.
But Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM Robert “Bobby” Morris said yesterday there was still more work to be done on a full fishing agreement that would outline the terms under which local fishermen could ply their trade in the twin-island republic’s territorial waters without fear of arrest.
A draft of the interim protocol which was submitted by Barbados is currently being evaluated by the government of Trinidad and Tobago and Morris said a response should be forthcoming by next week.
“And I’ve been advised by one of their leading negotiators that it is entirely possible that we might not have to sit down and negotiate but they will respond to our draft because our draft was a fairly extensive draft, and if they have differences, that can probably be ironed out by exchanging correspondence,” he said in an interview.
