New fishing complex will be built @ Paraquita Bay- Dr the Hon Wheatley
The minister’s statement was given while fielding questions from Leader of the Opposition Hon Marlon A. Penn (R8) during the Seventh Sitting of the Third Session of the Fourth House of Assembly at Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duff's Bottom, Tortola, on Tuesday, April 20, 2021.
Honourable Penn had asked him whether the government intended to reopen the fishing complex in the Baughers Bay area.
New location for fishing complex
In response, Minister Wheatley said there were no plans to open the fishing complex in Baughers Bay as the property there had been transferred to the Ports Authority for expansion purposes. Further, he said the new location for the complex will be Paraquita Bay.
He said, after considering many options and taking into consideration the new scope of the facility to inspect, grade and process, both agricultural and fish products, “we have settled on placing the new complex at Paraquita Bay in the vicinity of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.”
Back in March 2020, Dr Wheatley had told the House of Assembly that his ministry was initially only seeking an alternative location for the fishing complex, but following the merger of Agriculture and Fisheries as a single department, plans were revised to seek land which will be able to accommodate local fishing and farming industries.
“We now envision an agriculture and fisheries complex that will be equipped to inspect, grade, process and market both agricultural and fish products and which will also serve as a cultural and tourism facility to maximise its marketing capacity and exposure for local fishers and farmers,” Minister Wheatley had stated.
Meanwhile, Dr Wheatley told the House on Tuesday that the complex is in the design phase and will soon move to the costing phase.
"My ministry intends to seek the necessary funding in the 2022 budget to build and retrofit the new complex in 2022/2023.
“This depot will be for agricultural produce and fish, and it is important to say we have a number of fish landing sites with various types of facilities at various locations throughout the territory,” Dr Wheatley stated.
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17 Responses to “New fishing complex will be built @ Paraquita Bay- Dr the Hon Wheatley”
When are you focussing on education? Do you even realize that's part of your portfolio?
Soon come four years after Irma and still the Highschool remains an abandoned wreck.
We are failing our youth and the lack of education is a contributing factor to the increase in criminal activities in the BVI in the years after Irma.
Fisheries in the pass was located on the water edge, where they provided ice and fuel for outer island fisherman.
What is more over interesting is before the hurricane most fish sold at the fisheries were imported are they going to address the issue as to why that was so? I am a fellow fisherman and stop taking my fish to the fisheries cause the pick and choose what they want and pay you want you want. I hope and pray this works if this plan is materialized.