Government slashes fleet of vehicles

The OBA has slashed the size of the government fleet of vehicles by more than a third. 

Environmental data released this week shows the fleet consisted of 165 private Government vehicles in 2012.

But there are now just 103 Government vehicles on the road, according to a Government spokesperson.

The Environmental Statistics Compendium revealed that the size of the Government fleet had increased from 105 in 2008 to 176 in 2010.

The data, which looked at all aspects of Bermudian life, also highlighted a ‘disturbing’ rise in the amount of money being spent on pesticides on the island as well as a significant increase in fishing hauls. 

Rising pesticide use ‘disturbing’

A new report has highlighted a dramatic increase in the amount of money being spent on pesticides in Bermuda.

The Environmental Statistics Compendium revealed that the total value of pesticides imported in 2012 stood at $1,818,202.

This represented a 21 per cent increase on the previous year. The figures show the amount of money spent on insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and disinfectants being imported onto the island have all increased significantly since 2008.

Dr Jamie Bacon, chair of the Pesticides Focus Group between 2001-2009, told us the figures highlighted a disturbing trend that needed to be examined further.

She said: “At first glance, the significant increase in all categories of pesticides except ‘other’ is cause for concern. Pesticides are toxic by nature, and the increase implies that we are using far more of these products in our fields, gardens and homes. However, there are a number of things we need to know to be able to evaluate the numbers presented in the report.

“First, there is no distinction as to how much of each category was for agriculture and use by professional farmers, how much was for home garden use, and how much was for indoor home use.

“This would be very important to know.

“If homeowners accounted for the huge increase in pesticide use, then this would indicate that we need to try and educate the public on safer alternatives. If the increase was principally due to increased agricultural use, then that needs to be investigated as well.

“We should determine what is causing the farmers to rely on pesticides to such a greater extent.

“Second, the only measurement used is cost. If the cost of pesticides has increased substantially, then the amount being used may not be that much greater than in years past.

“It is hard to imagine that the cost has doubled in five years, but we should know how much the costs have gone up.

“The best figures would detail how much of the type of pesticide by weight was being used, or ideally, how much of the active ingredient by weight was being used.

The latest statistics reveal that just over $800,000 worth of insecticides and $431,000 worth of disinfectants were imported in 2012 compared to $250,914 and $40,027 respectively in 2008. But there is no information on the quantity of pesticides being imported on to the island.

The Sun asked Government for more information on the figures but none was forthcoming. 

More time at sea for fishermen

More fishermen are spending longer at sea as tough economic times have bitten the island over recent years.

The Environmental Statistics Compendium has revealed that in 2012 there were 356 registered fishermen – an increase of more than 50 from the previous four years. It also highlights that a total of 85,729 hours were spent at sea last year compared with 67,563 in 2008.

Tammy Trott, senior Marine Resources Officer for the Department of Environmental Protection, told the Bermuda Sun: “These statistics are very helpful when it comes to trend analysis. But we need to look at the amount of fish caught as well as the effort taken to catch them to determine what the changes mean.

“These statistics do not take effort into account, when you look at the landings alone it might not be as helpful. What these figures show is that the catch is fairly stable and there are no anomalies. 

“The migratory patterns of some fish like tuna mean that the catch will inevitably vary from year to year.”

The new statistics show tuna and other pelagic species take up the lion’s share of the annual catch.

The total catch for 2012 was 509.88 metric tons, including bait and lobsters, compared to just over 400 metric tons in 2008. 

Why so many haulage trucks?  

The number of construction vehicles operating in Bermuda has dropped due to the decline in the industry over the past few years.

A new compilation of environmental data released on Monday shows that the number of registered construction vehicles has gone from 103 in 2008 to 72 last year.

Meanwhile the number of general haulage vehicles has spiralled over the last five years from 47 in 2008 to 321 in 2012.

President of the Construction Association, Charles Dunstan, told the Sun: “It is well-known that the construction industry has suffered a downturn and therefore there has been less activity. 

“Certainly employment figures have dropped... and there has also been some consolidation within the industry which could be behind the drop [in construction vehicles].”

The Environmental Statistics Compendium also shows that the total number of private cars on the island has dropped by just over 1,000 from 2008 to 2012.

The number of buses, taxis and limousines on the road has remained the same over the period. The total number of registered vehicles in Bermuda has fallen from 48,571 in 2008 to 47,367 in 2012.