The full extent of Hurricane Beryl’s devastation on the fishing industry has been revealed, with a staggering 220 out of 312 active boats -- or seven in ten boats - lost at the island’s largest landing site, the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex.The revelation came during a high-level meeting on Monday between ministers, Social Partnership representatives and a visiting team of economists from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).The ECLAC delegation is here until Thursday to conduct a damage and loss assessment mission, aiming to determine the financial fallout from the Category 4 hurricane that ravaged the island’s coastal areas.Minister of the Environment and National Beautification, Blue and Green Economy Adrian Forde painted a grim picture of the destruction at the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex: “Of the 312 active boats, 220 were lost, 64 were destroyed, 26 sunk and six received minor damage.” He emphasised that the island was in need of financial assistance to rebuild” and called for more emphasis to be placed on environmental conservation.The opening session at Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre saw ministers and officials outlining the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Beryl to the visiting economists.
