BASSETERRE, ST. Kitts, Aug 19, CMC – The St Kitts-Nevis government says it is working diligently to ensure that the twin island Federation becomes compliant with the European Union rules and regulations on fishing by December 31, this year.

“They feel that a lot of people are fishing in other people’s waters and that there is illegal fishing going on. They want to know where the fish are caught because there may be instances of poisoning,” said Agriculture Minister Eugene Hamilton.

He said that as a result there is much pressure on the Federation to comply, hinting at other reasons for Europe doing so.

“This is because St. Kitts and Nevis is one of two Caribbean countries that register ships in the high seas.

We have a registration office that we are in contract with in the United Kingdom (UK). So, maybe for another reason they are doing it to prevent more registration of ships. After all, the registration of ships in the UK brings us near to three million dollars (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) in revenue.”

Hamilton warned that if St. Kitts and Nevis receives a penalty for non-compliance, it means there will be a loss in revenue.

“We are trying to protect that and also to protect the fishermen who want to ship any kind of fish products into Europe,” he said.

“For the time being, we are prohibited from making any shipment of fish products into European countries like Guadeloupe and Martinique because they are considered part of France. But strange enough, there are at least four persons in the federation who purchase conch from those who catch conch and try to sell to those two countries in the vicinity of US $40 per pound.”

Hamilton said that the Timothy Harris administration is working assiduously towards a solution that will allow it to sell to Europe and to sell conch to Guadeloupe and Martinique without having to be sanctioned.

“That is why the pressure is on us to make sure that we comply with what the European Union wants,” he said.

“So, when you hear that fish is being taking to the United States you now have to get a certificate to certify that the fish you caught is where you say it was caught; it is to protect the entire fishing industry and to protect our country and its revenue.”

Hamilton said that while he understands the anxiety of getting a certificate for fish products, persons are urged to understand that it is important to protect an entire industry which serves more than 500 families in the federation.