By Bakary Touray Jr.
The Gambia’s Minister of Fisheries and Water Resources, Mr. James F, Gomez, has told the country’s legislators that a total number of 411 Gambians have been employed as fisheries deck-hand sand in 2018.
The Fisheries boss was responding to a question from the PDOIS National Assembly Member for Serekunda Central, Hon. Halifa Sallah, who wanted him to indicate the number of young Gambians employed in the sector, and which area of the Fisheries sector is the larger employer.
Minister Gomez claimed that a total of 155 Gambians have been employed as Observers. This number excludes young Gambians (male and female) employed in the fish processing establishment, as he explained.
“I wish to inform the Honorable Member that, the artisanal fisheries sub-sector is the larger employer of Gambians,” the Minister told the lawmakers.
He also pointed out his Ministry places high priority attention for the rational and sustainable development of the Fisheries sector, vouching that the sector has an important and potential role to contribute to the economic and social development of the country.
Hon.Ousman Sillah, PDOIS elected NAM for Banjul North, asked whether the Ministry has approved license for the operations of factories that transform fish into fishmeal; and would it consider their immediate closure.
Gomez disclosed that The Ministry has granted the approvals to factories that transform fish into fishmeal, and avowed that the “Ministry is not considering the immediate closure of the said factories”.
He told the Assembly that this is because the scientific data from the yearly acoustic survey on pelagic resources, such as Bonga and Sardinella in Gambian waters could accommodate the establishment of five fishmeal factories, even though only three of such factories are in operation.
National Assembly Member (UDP NAM) for Sanneh Mentereng, Hon. Baba Galleh Jallow, also asked whether the Ministry has plans to engage the youth in the fishing sector.
Minister Gomez confirmed that the mechanism in place is to engage Gambians in fisheries value as fishermen, fish processors and in fish farming. This, as Gomez informed the NAMs, would be accompanied by capacity development activities including the formation and strengthening of the organizational capacities of fisheries organizations.
GDC’s NAM for Jimara Constituency, Hon. Alagie H. Sowe, quizzed whether any fishing agreement had been signed between The Gambia and China,and the Minister’s reply was that there’s no bilateral fishing agreement between the Republic of The Gambia and China.
