The Fisheries Department is listed as an essential service and during this State of Emergency they must carry out their duties as per normal. In speaking with the Supervisor of the Conservation Compliance Unit at the Fisheries Department, Hampton Gamboa he explained that they have sourced funding to assist them in their operations during this time.
Hampton Gamboa, Fisheries Enforcement Officer: “During this time of the COVID situation and everything we’re still part of the essential staff so we we’ll be out patrolling and we have garnered some additional funding for fuel during this season because both conchs and lobster are closed and conch closed earlier so we have to be out so we will be out in full force along with the Coast Guard doing operations throughout the next few months, as we all know we’re all on quarantine to a certain extent.”
Gamboa noted that they will be out in full force along with the Coast Guard and other agencies.
