VENDORS selling seafood and other marine products in any market around the country need to be licensed.
Speaking during an interview this week, North senior fisheries officer Alivereti Tuinamata, said they had begun talks with Labasa market vendors on the need for proper licensing.
Mr Tuinamata said anyone selling marine products to earn a living, needed a licence.
“Those not having a licence are operating illegally and need to apply to the Fisheries Department for appropriate licence,” he said.
“We have already begun awareness to vendors in Labasa market and we are regularly talking to those vendors that only come to sell during the weekends.
“These are the sort of vendors that are not complying with the licensing conditions as stipulated under the regulations.”
Meanwhile, in an earlier interview, North senior fisheries officer Jovesa Naceva told this newspaper that even though the final week of licence renewal ended on the last week of December, they were giving a grace period to fishermen to approach the nearest Fisheries Department office and renew their licences.
“We are not allowed to be giving the grace period but we do understand the difficulties that people in remote areas face to renew their licences,” he said.
“The department has already conducted awareness on the renewal dates to fish vendors at the Labasa market but out of our generosity, we do allow fishermen to renew their licence after the off date.”
