Bridgetown.
Officials of the Governments of Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago are to meet soon to hammer a temporary protocol over fishing rights in Trinidadian's waters for Barbadian fishermen.
This was disclose by Prime Minister Freundel Stuart at a press conference yesterday after his arrival from the Cuba -CARICOM summit in Trinidad.
Stuart told the press he sought a meeting with Prime Minister Kamla Persad -Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago because of the flare up over the continued arrest of Barbadian fishermen in Trindad's waters.
"What I put on the table was that we should move trying to get a fishing signed but in the interim we need to put certain protocols in place that would regulate how this issue of fishing in Trinidad's waters illegally is handled", Stuart said.
"It was was my view that the idea that Barbadian fishermen had been arrested and thrown into some prison is really not acceptable", he added.
At the same time, he acknowledged that in the absence of an agreement "if Barbadian fishermen are fishermen are fishing in Trinidadian waters, illegally, there are committing an offence in the context of Trinidad's criminal law.
Two weeks ago ten Barbadian fishermen were arrested and imprisoned for several days and later fined and convicted for fishing in Trinidad's waters. Some were rearrested for violating the country's immigration laws.
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