Fishermen feel the pinch of bad weather
Bad times: The recent weather conditions and rough tides, that are expected to last until the end of the month, are yielding a lower catch for Bruneian fishermen nationwide, but it has made them all more safety-conscious. Picture: Helmyshah
Thursday, December 27, 2007
FISHERMEN in the country are finding it more challenging to catch a decent living these past few days as recent high tides and bad weather conditions has forced some of them to stay onshore.
Those that do go venture out to sea, according to several fishermen, report of a considerably lower catch compared to other months as rough seas and heavy weather conditions puts them in a spot where they have to change their normal fishing schedules.
According to a fisherman, who declined to be named, the weather during the day is usually normal with fairly light winds however the output of fish and shrimp is quite low possibly due to strong tides, he surmised.
He added that the recent weather reports that tell of high tides and rough weather during this month do not really apply during the daytime but nevertheless their fishing schedule is still highly dependant on the weather forecast provi-ded by the Meteorological Service.
He added that during the day the sea conditions are normally calm with 0.3 to 0.4 metre waves and 0.5 to 0.6 metres mostly in the afternoons.
He further pointed out that the sea only begins to get a bit rough during the night which is the reason why most fishermen opt to go out during the day.
According to employees of Haji Ali, a fisherman from Jerudong, their recent outing to the sea brought in only half of what they normally catch during the night.
Recent weather reports from the Meteorological Service of high tides and rough seas lasting until Friday, December 28 has brought on precautionary measures amongst fishermen in the country with several others postponing their outing altogether.
According to these fishermen the normal procedure before going out to sea would be to get weather reports and informing the Fisheries Department.
However due to the strong currents and bad weather outlook for the month, many have taken extra precautionary measures before going out to sea.
These include informing the Marine Police of their outing, bringing extra food rations, more lifejackets and extra strong spotlights for night fishing.
According to police advice, those that do plan to go out to sea should be careful during the bad weather and are advised to inform the authorities of their whereabouts at all times.
This is to ensure that they can be contacted and located easily should anything unforeseen happen.
The Brunei Times
Those that do go venture out to sea, according to several fishermen, report of a considerably lower catch compared to other months as rough seas and heavy weather conditions puts them in a spot where they have to change their normal fishing schedules.
According to a fisherman, who declined to be named, the weather during the day is usually normal with fairly light winds however the output of fish and shrimp is quite low possibly due to strong tides, he surmised.
He added that the recent weather reports that tell of high tides and rough weather during this month do not really apply during the daytime but nevertheless their fishing schedule is still highly dependant on the weather forecast provi-ded by the Meteorological Service.
He added that during the day the sea conditions are normally calm with 0.3 to 0.4 metre waves and 0.5 to 0.6 metres mostly in the afternoons.
He further pointed out that the sea only begins to get a bit rough during the night which is the reason why most fishermen opt to go out during the day.
According to employees of Haji Ali, a fisherman from Jerudong, their recent outing to the sea brought in only half of what they normally catch during the night.
Recent weather reports from the Meteorological Service of high tides and rough seas lasting until Friday, December 28 has brought on precautionary measures amongst fishermen in the country with several others postponing their outing altogether.
According to these fishermen the normal procedure before going out to sea would be to get weather reports and informing the Fisheries Department.
However due to the strong currents and bad weather outlook for the month, many have taken extra precautionary measures before going out to sea.
These include informing the Marine Police of their outing, bringing extra food rations, more lifejackets and extra strong spotlights for night fishing.
According to police advice, those that do plan to go out to sea should be careful during the bad weather and are advised to inform the authorities of their whereabouts at all times.
This is to ensure that they can be contacted and located easily should anything unforeseen happen.
The Brunei Times
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