By: Nyima Sillah
A fishing boat carrying seven fishermen that went missing for ten days has been found on Saturday, The Voice has been reliably informed.
The boat which departed on the beaches of the coastal fishing settlement of Tanji earlier this month carrying seven Gambian fishermen went missing for weeks causing panic among the fishermen and the public.
Omar Gaye, PRO of Artisanal Fisheries Association Gambian, said the fishing boat
Mr. Gaye told The Voice that the boat went missing on the 5th of January carrying 7 fishermen, four Gambians, and 3 Senegalese.
In an interview with The Voice, the Spokesman of the Artisanal Fisheries Association, Omar Gaye explained the whole incident and how it was discovered when it left the shores of the beach on January 5th this year.
“On Saturday 7th January the boat owner brought the issue to our attention and they informed the Navy, Fisheries, and CMC. Unfortunately, when the news reached the Navy, they said they don’t have the means to support us in the search which makes me upset because I believe such issues require urgent support at any cost. The association spent D36,000 for the fuel to search the boat but unfortunately, we could not find them,” he explained.
PRO Gaye further revealed that the navy should have assisted in their search for the boat, adding that if the navy had supported them from the beginning they would have traced them before the ten days period.
He observed that to avoid such scenarios from happening in the future they need support from the ministry of fisheries and the government to put measures to tackle such problems, describing Tanji as a crucial fishing point that needs the right equipment for immediate response.
