Dominica Complains to France About Fishing in Territorial Waters

Text of report by Caribbean Media Corporation news agency website on 2 July

Roseau, Dominica: Dominica has asked the French to respect its territorial waters and prohibit fishing there as the Caribbean country seeks to make better use of its marine resources.

Chief Fisheries Officer Andrew Magloire has raised concerns about what he said are threats to Dominican fishermen.

He has condemned the action of fishermen from the French territories of Martinique in the south and Guadeloupe to the north, for fishing in Dominican waters without permission.

Magloire told journalists this week that after years of trying to find an amicable solution, the issue remains unresolved.

“We have been having a lot of conflicts at sea from the fishermen who are fishing our waters and creating major difficulties for local fishermen. This is an issue of major concern to us,” he said.

According to him, Roseau has made contact with the French consulate in Castries, St Lucia to continue to push for a resolution to the issue.

Magloire has warned that the actions of the fishermen are illegal “because they have not been issued any licences to fish in our waters”.

The head of fisheries noted that these problems have become more apparent now that Dominica has put measures in place to enhance the capacity of fishermen.

“The French have been fishing in our waters for a number of years, but the fact is that we are now developing our operations to allow us to fish in waters we have never fished before,” he said.

“We need to step up our efforts on the diplomatic front and we need to engage our Coast Guard to carry out marine surveys,” Magloire added.

Originally published by Caribbean Media Corporation news agency website, Bridgetown, in English 2040 2 Jul 08.

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