Wednesday June 27th  2012 –  Fishers of Gros Islet towed their boats to the shore from Monday, June 25th to officially begin  a week of activities in observance of  Fishermen’s Feast. Friday June 29th is celebrated in Saint Lucia as a day of the year especially dedicated to fishers and their seafaring vocation.

The observance was organized by the Gros Islet  Fishermen’s Co-operative Society under the theme “Creating linkages through the role of women in the fishing  sector in the community.”

Parliamentary Representative for Gros Islet and Minister for Commerce  Honourable Emma Hippolyte says her ministry as well as the Ministry for Agriculture intends to work closely  with the fisheries  sector. She called on the fishing community to organize themselves effectively for the purpose of working successfully with government.

“ So Mr. President (  Ricky Mc Doom) I hope that your team is in place and remember from the meetings that we’ve had the Fishermen’s Co-operative in Gros Islet  must have a team that is willing to work. I was able to have a short discussion with the minister especially on to the issue of the FADS. And he gave me a commitment that his ministry is already working on this area.”

Among the first projects that government will undertake  for  the fishermen and women in the north are the construction of FADS or Fish Aggregating Devices. FADS usually consist of buoys and floats tethered to the ocean floor with concrete blocks. Over 300 species of fish gather around FADS. FADS attract fish for numerous reasons that vary by specie.