Saint Lucian fishers are poised to receive relief from a challenging situation as the seafood retailer Lucian Blue Ocean is soon to be reopened with government support. This announcement was made by the Minister for Agriculture, Honorable Alfred Prospere, in the latest edition of the government’s “Agriculture on the Move” program. The privately-owned entity closed its doors in December 2021, facing financial difficulties induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of closure, the management of LBO cited “low yield” from fishers as the reason, stating that the decision was unavoidable. The organization had previously taken over the operations of the St Lucia Fish Marketing Corporation in 2019, which also grappled with financial difficulties, characterized by substantial losses and significant debts.
According to Minister Prospere, the government is in the process of finalizing a lease agreement, and stakeholders could possibly witness a reopening this year.
“In terms of Lucian Blue Ocean, we have very good news for the fishers. We are just finalizing the lease agreement. As you know, we have removed Dennery facility and the Vieux Fort facility from the agreement and the new lease agreement will only the Lucian Blue Ocean Facility in San Souci” he said “We are hoping that this year, we will see a reopening of this facility” the Minister added.
This reopening is part of an overall revamping of the fisheries sector by the government.
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