MALE, Feb 13 (HNS) - The atoll chief of Haa Alifu atoll Dhidhoo and the island chief of the island along with the staff of both offices are on the roads as they cannot work in the offices since the offices are filled with fish blood the damp smell of spoiled fish.

Fishermen of North Thiladhummathee atoll Dhidhoo, the atoll’s governing island, dumped their Sunday’s fish catch into the atoll office, the island office and the atoll house in the island because it was not bought by fish purchasing boats.

Ahmed Naseem, a fisherman working in Dhidhoo “Kanduroadhi” dhoni said that the fish had to be dumped because the carrier vessel said that fish cannot be purchased Sunday.

He said that the fish catch by six dhonis of that island were thrown around inside the atoll office, island office and atoll house.

“About a month has passed since we had to sell the fish at a very low rate since they would not buy the fish at the true value. There wasn’t even one (fish purchasing) boat on this (Dhidhoo’s) side of the atoll today (Sunday). When the boat at Ihavandhoo harbor was contacted they said that fish cannot be purchased. Even if the dhonis went to that boat, using expensive fuel on the way, only few dhoni’s can get their fish sold,” Naseem said.

“About 25 tons of fish were dumped.”

An eyewitness of the incident said that the fishermen came and started dumping the fish at around 9:30 in the morning.

“All the fish caught by the dhonis have been dumped. The atoll chiefs and island’s chiefs are negotiating with the fishermen to find a solution. They are walking around through the fish thrown around in the offices,” the eyewitness said.

“Fishermen and most of the islanders are gathered at the atoll office. The fishermen are demanding that the money for the fish, which have been dumped, be paid to them.”

Kanduroadhi dhoni’s Naseem said that “there should not be any double standards.”

“We had to dump the fish since we could not sell it. Therefore the money has to be paid,” Naseem said.

The angry fishermen came to a compromise when the Island Steering committee agreed to financially compensate for the fish which the fishermen dumped.

Manager Abdurrahman of Island Enterprises, the fishing company operating in the northern zone, said Sunday that the fishermen, atoll office and island offices have been informed that the boat at Filladhoo harbor, the harbor at which Dhidhoo fishermen usually sell their fish, will not buy any fish Sunday.

“That is because the capacity is full. We did not give any assurance that the boat at Ihavandhoo will be buy any fish either. That is because (the Dhidhoo fishermen) may not have their fish catch sold after travelling such a long distance,” Abdurrahman said.