A senior market official has sought to clarify the state of the ice supply system and address complaints of disruptions from fishers at the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex.Eric Lewis, senior manager of fish markets, told Barbados TODAY that of the two large-scale industrial ice machines at the market, one had been temporarily out of commission since March due to a faulty motor. While the second machine remained operational, a temporary stoppage led to supply bottlenecks, particularly during the high-demand Easter season.“We have two ice machines here. One has been working continuously. The other went down in March with a motor issue, but it’s now repaired and technicians are conducting the final checks,” Lewis explained. “One machine did stop briefly on Wednesday for a few hours because it needed gassing up, but as you can hear in the background, it’s back up and producing ice.”To ease pressure on the market’s infrastructure, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy implemented a contingency plan to use private ice supplier Wolverine Ice Ltd and contract a trucker to transport ice from the Berinda Cox Fish Market in Oistins to Bridgetown.“We’ve made arrangements with Wolverine Ice, so any boats that need ice can get it. The ministry is also covering the cost of transporting that ice with a forklift across the jetty, and we have young men on-site to help load the ice onto vessels,” Lewis said. “Additionally, we’ve been bringing in ice from Oistins and selling it at the public market here in Bridgetown to relieve the pressure.”The truck is also capable of blowing ice directly into fishing boats — a service provided at no cost to fishermen, the official added.“The ministry is footing that bill,” Lewis noted. “They can call the driver and have the ice delivered straight into their boats.”Despite these measures, resistance among some fishermen appears to hinge largely on cost. Ice from Wolverine, which is sold by the drum, is reportedly $20 more expensive than government-subsidised ice sold by the tonne at $220.