Bad Weather Allowance is payable to registered fishermen who have not been able to go fishing due to bad weather conditions. Fishermen are, nevertheless, encouraged to do alternative activities such as mending their nets and repairing their boats when they are not involved in fishing activities.
The Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping assesses eligibility criteria for the payment of bad weather allowance.
The Acting Deputy Controller of the Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Mr Oomesh Chand Mathura highlighted that a bad weather day is forecasted by the Mauritius Meteorological Services which is announced on the radio in the bulletin for fishermen
He also stated that fishermen are unable to go fishing for 15 to 20 days in the months of June and July due to bad weather conditions and that Government is presently disbursing around Rs one million per day for the daily bad weather allowance.
He also spoke of the new regulations as per the New Fishermen’s cards for newly registered fishermen where they have to abide by specific rules to be entitled to the daily bad weather allowance.
Bad Weather Allowance is applicable to registered fishermen in Mauritius and Rodrigues as follows –
(i) a bad weather day would be defined as a day when the sea is rough, rough to moderate or moderate to rough;
(ii) registered artisanal fisher shall be paid bad weather allowance based on attendance at the respective Fisheries Post to clean the assigned Fish Landing Station/shoreline/beach in the locality.
(iii) payment would be effected every month and the fisher should, however, have his/her card duly stamped for at least one month immediately preceding the month of payment; and
(iv) the newly registered fishers would be eligible to Bad Weather Allowance only up to retirement age.
Over the years, Government has increased the Bad Weather Allowance in a bid to ensure a better quality of life of fishers and their families. Budget 2022-2023 made provision for an increase in the daily Bad Weather Allowance from Rs 475 to Rs 575.
In Mauritius, there are 60 fish landing stations across the country. As at November 2022, the number of registered fishermen stood at 1739 out of which some 1585 fishers benefit from the daily bad weather allowance.
In a bid to further promote the welfare of registered fishermen and their families, the Fishermen Welfare Fund was created in year 2000. The Fund provides an array of services to develop schemes and projects for the welfare of registered fishermen ranging from Financial Assistance for Fishermen Family in Distress, Sickness Allowance, Winter Allowance, to Financial Assistance for the purchase of materials for building of Baskets traps.
For more information on the schemes, please click on link below:
