Dominican fishing exports to expand in 2017 Drigo says

Fish caught locally

Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Johnson Drigo has stated that the fisheries division has facilitated the exports of over 1 million pounds of fish overseas in 2016.

The fish was exported mainly to St. Kitts, Antigua, Anguilla, St. Martin, Tortola, the U.S. and Canada.

These exports came mostly from Marigot, Portsmouth and Roseau facilities and there are plans for expansion in the new year.

“There are plans to vigorously expand these plans in 2017,” he said. “Intense training has been ongoing over the past months in Sanitary, Phytosanitary, and Veterinary food health and safety practices as it pertains to fish and fish products.”

This will be done in order to enhance the capacity to achieve United States Department of Education (U.S.D.E) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (H.A.C.C.P) certification standard, since according to Drigo, there is now “a confirmed market in the U.S.”

“All of our fisheries facilities will be H.A.C.C.P. and U.S.D.E. certified to satisfy these markets,” he said.

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28 Comments

  1. Anonymous
    January 8, 2017

    Is not fish we exporting but fishy stuff.

  2. Tjebe fort
    January 7, 2017

    So how come I’m finding it so difficult to find fresh fish to buy in Dominica but we are im porting so much fish like dried cod, smoked herring, even smoked salmon and all that fish in tins like sardines and tuna, especially that tuna flakes I would not even feed to my dog? That does not make sense to me.

  3. January 7, 2017

    When we read this all we see is Dominican crying down their fellow man when is this going to stop is time we support our country and stop putting this accusation and negative comment on line.

    • But can’t you see that you are ignorant of the matter.

      Guy are you so silly that you can’t understand nobody in Dominica besides Drigo knows when he is shipping his fish. Dominica is approximately 305 square miles, that I was taught in School in the first grade (kindergarten) in Wesley. Dominica not that large that if a million pounds of fish was shipped out of country nobody would have known about it excepts this guy from Castle Bruce.

      In the first place in order to ship fish out of Dominica unless they are dried, you need to have a refrigerated ship designed for that purpose. Secondly if you are shipping be air the aircraft must also be equip with a refrigeration system also to keep the fish fresh until they reach their destination.

      A boat traveling to Canada from Dominica to Canada or the United States will take no less than five days, what will happen to un-refrigerated fish? They will rot! Utilize your commonsense, even if you fly them with they are kept cold the heat…

  4. Real!!!!!
    January 6, 2017

    Drigo…The fish I carry back to USA for my family is the export market? 8-O 8-O :

    Please identify the importer or importers in the USA so we can support the Dominican Product…..LOL, SMH!!!!

  5. CB massive
    January 6, 2017

    The man no give credit where it’s due. Castle Bruce is rebuilding what we lost and the government try to take credit when it belongs to the church. The church is rebuilding in CB and is supporting fishermen not the government tell the truth shame the devil

  6. forreal
    January 5, 2017

    for all who jumping on the comment train saying his a liar,why is not you all loving mouthpiece lennox linton who so happen to be the parlimentary representitve of the marigot community not rebbuting drigo’s claim,is linton in on that fake news to?UWP supportass

    • Toto
      January 8, 2017

      I not saying mister is a liar but I do think is not that bright and completely in Skerrit’s pocket, Skerrit’s message boy.

  7. Anthony P. Ismael
    January 5, 2017

    Anything from the mouth of Drigo is a bold face lie. Just more propaganda from the Labor Lying Machine.

  8. January 5, 2017

    Commedale Mr. Minister, but why the shortage of fish locally for consumption?

  9. mike
    January 5, 2017

    what about over fishing

  10. January 5, 2017

    REALLY?

  11. January 5, 2017

    This guy is crazy. You really expect us to believe this cock and bull story?

    Our fish being exported to canada the usa?
    Really drigo?
    God help us in this this country with these terrible lairs.
    But one day allu will stop.

    • DA
      January 5, 2017

      Yes please Where in Canada, I need to go buy some.

  12. January 5, 2017

    I am happy that the fishing industry in Dominica did well in 2016 and is expected to do as well or better
    this year.

    Noted that you have a market for your product in Canada. Our east coast island province of Newfoundland was once famous for its fishing industry. Sadly its fish trade has gone down in recent years. In fact it has taken a severe hit.

    The education and training you are providing for those who work in this industry is commendable. It will go a long way in protecting and promoting its interests. I hope you will keep up the good work.

    Remember St. Peter and other Apostles were fishermen and fishing was a valued trade among the first disciples.

    Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. :-P

    • Mr Hill, I hope you did not fall for that lie: Why would Drigo have fish exporting to Canada, when the main fish diet in Dominica is Newfoundland Cod (commonly refers to in Dominica as salt fish) imported from Canada.

      Mr. Hill in order to get fish shipped from Dominica to Canada, the shipment has to travel via some ship equips for that purpose with cold storage. The same thing applies to an fish shipped by air, the aircraft must be equip with good refrigeration system.

      So, I ask which airline is this guy using to fly fish to you country, and the united State, or which shipping company he is using by boat to export his fish.

      That guy is a notorious liar! I live in America, I go in and out of Canada any day of the day I wish, all he has to do is identify one place in the United States or Canada where his fish are sold so we can go and buy to confirm he is not a liar!

      Mr. Hill the most seasonal fish we have in Dominica are Sprats, and Fry\’s the second and third in the…

      • January 7, 2017

        Mr. Telemaque:

        Thank you for this information.

        I want to be right. If I erred I apologize. I assumed DNO would have it right. I was taught that editors usually check their sources and verify the info they are given.

        Since we lost much of our great Newfoundland fishing industry here in Canada it is a sensitive subject
        and I responded in a flash. Again Francisco, I thank you for jumping on board and contributing.

        I hope DNO will look closely at your comment and let the good people of Dominica know who is right and who is wrong. That would be good journalism.

        Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.

    • Mr. Hill the most seasonal fish we have in Dominica are Sprats, and Fry\’s the second and third smallest in the Class Chondrichthyes: And let me explain that; in that species of fish are sharks, skates, and rays. In reality almost entirely marine fishes with a cartilaginous skeleton, efficient fins, complex copulatory organs, and small, pointed scales (denticles); nevertheless lacking air bladders.

      There are about 850 species of those. Class Osteichthyes: Bony fish; which are abundant both in the sea, and in fresh water, have bony skeletons, efficient fins, scales, usually bladders by means of which they regulate their density and therefor their level in water there are more than 18,000 such species.

    • Dominican
      January 7, 2017

      Rev. I appreciate your good wishes but you obviously do not know our country. We do not have a fishing industry as you know it. Our fishermen go out to sea in small, open boats, mostly with a two-stroke outboard motor onl, usually crewed by no more than two men.. There is not one boat with living-on-board quarters, leave alone make a cup of coffee, that can stay out all night to fish with refrigerated storage space.
      those open boats that have a small ice box must buy that ice first before they leave and not all of them do. We have no, industry to speak off and I wonder if the value of fish imports is not greater than what we export. We don’t even have a fish processing industry. So I must see the minister’s observation as propaganda and a pipe dream.

  13. Shaka Zulu
    January 5, 2017

    I think you mean FDA there buddy. Food and Drug Administration. Not sure what the US department of education have to do with certification of fish import. Drigo must be looking for a job at Sea world to teach wally to swim.

    There are plans to vigorously expand these plans in 2017,” A plan to fix a plan. This guy sounds like a clown and does not know what he talking about. Dude who ever told you what to say messing with you..
    Can the minister or dno put a link of the ministry of agriculture site where we can see the statistics. I do not believe anything coming out of these folks mouth unless I can see and review facts. It’s public information.

  14. Watch me expose a lie: 100000,00/7 = 14,285. 71 pounds of fish he exported out of Dominica to Canada and the United States, in addition to the other five islands in the Caribbean. Now I once live in Antigua, and we also have lots of fish pots and fishing boat too.

    Antigua is one of the places in the Caribbean after Barbados and Trinidad, they do not export fish, but Dominica where people are starving for fish their fish according to Drigo their fish goes to places like Canada, and America. What a lie. Can this guy tell me where in Canada or America Dominica fish are sold so that I can go to the place in America, or Canada to buy his fish

    They say there are seventy thousand people in Dominica a million pound of fish divided among 70 thousand people comes to 1.4 pounds or 1 and 1/4 pound of fish, I believe there are about 30, 000 people in Dominica so if that million pounds of fish was sold in Dominica each person would buy 31/3 pound of fish. The is exposed since he is unable…

    • The lie is exposed, since he is unable to say on what cold storage ship or aircraft he is exporting his fish!

      And it would be interested to if the same cold-storage ship or aircraft is delivering his fish to all the places he is exporting fish.

      Please Drigo give me a telephone number in Canada, or the United States of you agents, or buyer importing your fish caught in Dominica so that I can get the address of their place of business where I can go buy me some Dominica fish!

    • \”Antigua is one of the places in the Caribbean after Barbados and Trinidad, they do not export fish\”

      I meant Antigua comes second in catching fish after Barbados and Trinidad, and I was about to say also we have lots of fish pots, and two fishing boat too, in addition to our cargo ship the MV FelsKove, which we even sail into Dominica and could not get a load of cargo, for weeks!

    • Peterborough
      January 5, 2017

      Lol mr dods, are you really that stupid
      bro. Smfffffhh

  15. Frank Talker
    January 5, 2017

    The question I ask is whether we have a fish export business going on in Dominica. You see, sometimes we talk about export of products in the sense that there is a trade taking place, when in reality what we have is products being sent to friends and families living overseas. It would be good for the Minister to have cleared the air on this.

  16. zandoli
    January 5, 2017

    Does anyone know who the importers are in North America?

    I would eat a whole lot more fish is the quality was consistently good. Buying fresh fish is a hit and miss proposition.

    • Academic
      January 6, 2017

      The importer in New York is DRIGO FISH ENTERPRISES.

      • Push ON
        January 6, 2017

        :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: you made my day :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

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