Fishermen moored their boats yesterday as a precaution as strong winds intensified rough seas in the Atlantic Ocean for the second day.
Matelot King Fishers Association spokesperson Anderson Zoe said fishing boats were moored and taken inland.
“We are experiencing extra heavy waves. It’s not that bad and we are taking precautions and we pulled them in,” he said yesterday.
David Bachan, director of the Felicity/Charlieville Fishing Association, said there was no damage to boats since the rough seas bulletin was issued by the Met Service on Wednesday. The rough seas conditions are expected to remain in effect until New Year’s Day.
“The fishermen know how to operate out there and are careful. There are no incidents I heard of and they know how important it is to be safe,” he said.
Bachan said he went out to sea yesterday and took precautions with the other fishermen in the Gulf of Paria.
Chairman of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation Terry Rondon said he had contacted various fishermen along the northeast coast to warn them about the rough seas.
“We didn’t have no damage to boats and I called from Balandra to Matelot and they were able to moor their boats,” he said.
Chairman of the Diego Martin Regional Corporation Susan Hong said she did not receive any complaints from fishermen.
The spokesperson for lifeguards Augustus Sylvester said rough seas were normal at this time of year.
“It starts from October to April which is the tourist season. It is a normal thing. There is a lot of strong rip currents and some swells,” he said.
Sylvester said people still visited the beach and sea bathers went into the water despite the warning.
Moderate to rough seas are expected over the next three to four days, according to a Rough Seas Bulletin issued by the Meteorological Service. The bulletin warned sea bathers to exercise caution.