Louise Mitchell, a lawyer who failed in her bid to become the New Democratic Party’s (NDP) candidate for West St. George in the next general election, has outlined the party’s plans for the blue economy.
Mitchell, who is the daughter of NDP founder, former prime minister, the late Sir James Mitchell, told an NDP campaign event in Ottley Hall that the era of Prime Minister Gonsalves is ending.
“It is time for Dr. [Godwin] Friday and his new fantastic team,” she said of the NDP’s leader.
Mitchell said she is particularly passionate about fisheries and the blue economy, adding that fisheries is not only important because of the money it generates for the economy but also “because our very health depends on the fish that we eat.
“And as the fish population depletes over the years, the health of Vincentians also deteriorates,” Mitchell said, adding that an NDP government will prioritise the fisheries sector, giving it its own ministry.
She said that in addition to health and diet, fisheries are important to a successful tourism industry.
“When the tourists come here to St. Vincent and the Grenadines … they want to be ordering conch harvested in the Grenadines. They want to be ordering snapper from the waters of the Grenadines.”
She said the NDP’s proposed ministry of the blue economy will prioritise the safety of fishers by ensuring each vessel has a monitoring device that can track its location.
An NDP government will also improve fisheries infrastructure.
“We have so many fishery centres that are in deplorable condition. We have fishery centres, such as the one in Barrouallie. When the fishers come ashore, there isn’t even any storage or ice box for them to put the fish on,” Mitchell said.
“We will commit to improving the fishery sector so that our fishers can feel supported, much more supported than they do under the Unity Labour Party.”
Too much fish imported from Venezuela
She said that under the ULP, there is much greater import of fish from Venezuela and other countries.
“If you go to the fish market to buy fish, you may not find local fish but you will be sure to find fish from Venezuela to buy. That is us going backwards, not going forwards.
“We will give support to our fishers. We will ensure that there is a sustainability element woven into the development of fisheries so that our fish stock will be [not] depleted, we will invest in things such as a conch nursery to help ensure that the conch population does not crash.”
Renewed emphasis on shipyards
Mitchell said that the NDP will also place renewed emphasis on the development of shipyards and marinas.
“And the first shipyard that we’re going to be looking at is rebuilding the Ottley Hall Shipyard and Marina,” she said, referring to the facility that was built under the Mitchell administration and which the ULP has left to go to ruin.
“The Ottley Hall shipyard and Marina is a project that used to bring in up to $3.5 million every year into this country. In 2018, the dry dock collapsed, and it has never been fixed.”
She asked why the ULP has not invested in the marina although it was generating many jobs for Ottley Hall and other communities.
“Is it because they wanted to diminish the legacy of James Mitchell? Is it because they saw this as an NDP project and they did not want to maintain it and see it thrive?”
She, however, said that the ULP neglect of the marina is not punishing her or Sir James.
“They’re hurting the community of Otley Hall. And it’s not to say it doesn’t make economic sense to invest in shipyards, because there’s great demand for the services of shipyards.”
She said that ferries from Bequia spent US$100,000 in 10 days when they go to a shipyard for maintenance.
“Right now, our vessels from Bequia have to reach all the way in Trinidad to get their ships repaired.”
Mitchell said this is the case, although SVG has more yacht visitors than anywhere else in the Eastern Caribbean.
“After they finish their cruising, they have to leave at the end of the season, and they have to go … to a shipyard in Grenada or they have to go down to Trinidad.
“If our shipyard here was up and running, they would spend a lot more time and a lot more money in the country,” Mitchell said.
She said that even when Ottley Hall was at its prime performance, it was not operating at half of its capacity.
“So, when we rebuild it this time, we won’t be creating 40 jobs like it had before; we’d be creating double that amount of jobs.”
Mitchell said that when the NDP repairs Ottley Hall, it will also upgrade the road to the shipyard, thereby uplifting the entire community.
“… Ottley Hall shipyard is almost 38 acres, and it has many buildings that were underutilised,” she said, adding that some of them were used during the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean.
“Why is it that the present government never found use for those buildings? Because they tried to turn Ottley Hall into a bad word, into a graveyard,” she said.
“However, we are going to ensure that every square inch of the Ottley Hall Shipyard and Marina is put into maximum production and productivity. We are going to create a career pathway for Vincentians who are interested in the ship repair, shipping and yachting industry. We are going to do this by establishing a maritime training Institute at the same Ottley Hall Marina and Shipyard.”
She said the institute will equip and certify young people in various skills such as skippers, marine engineers, fibreglass work, navigation and repairing four-stroke engines.
She said people with these skills can work in SVG, Trinidad, Florida, or Grenada and work in the maritime sector.
“I’m inviting each and every one of you to play your part in this movement of change by going to the polls on election day and marking your x next to the New Democratic Party so that together we can usher in a new season of light in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Mitchell said.
Well said but you neglected to say if there are any plans for fishery in Barrouallie.