Is the Salybia Reef dying?
Sargassum seaweed the shores of the northeast coast, including this one in Toco. Photo by Angelo Marcelle
Dale Joseph, 45, grew up a stone’s throw away from the Toco beach, located in north-east TT.
Although he wasn’t a fisherman himself, his father would do rock fishing to keep Joseph and the rest of the family fed.
Now a vendor with his own beach front variety store, Joseph recalled in his childhood the fishing village of Toco hadn’t a need for anything. The sea would, with each new moon, bring forth a bounty of fish so fishermen would be able to feed themselves and make money.
A tale of two Salybias
Do you know the difference between Salybia and “Sally Bay?”
The two spots in northeast Trinidad have been confused with each other for years; their names are so similar, the two places have become interchangeable in some people s mind.
That s why when some “town people” boast about going to “Sally Bay” the first response may be: “Which one, Sally Bay or Salybia?”
Despite their similarity in name, the places differ, not only in location, but in the culture and practices of residents. But they share the same need for development, infrastructure and opportunities for a new generation of villagers.