Fishing beaches rehabilitated

JIS

Monday, October 10, 2011

THREE fishing beaches, rehabilitated under the Improving Jamaica’s Agricultural Productivity (IJAP) programme, were last week officially handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

Renovated at a cost of $81 million, the Old Harbour Bay, Savanna-la-Mar, and Rocky Point fishing beaches located in St Catherine, Westmoreland, and Clarendon respectively, were handed over during an IICA Day ceremony at the institute’s Hope Gardens location in Kingston.

They are three of six major fishing beaches that were slated to be upgraded under the Sustainable Marine Fisheries Management component of IJAP.

The project forms part of Government’s overall strategy to rehabilitate some 187 beaches, from which approximately 40,000 fisherfolk and other stakeholders operate and earn their livelihood.

IJAP involves the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), IICA, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. It comprises two components focusing on expanding green house production and encouraging sustainable management of the marine fisheries sector.

The initiative is being funded through a C$4.9 million grant from CIDA; C$134,956 from the IICA; and C$1.5 million from the ministry. The ministry, through its agencies, the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), and the Fisheries Division, is the implementing agency for the project, while IICA is the executing agency on behalf of CIDA.

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Robert Montague expressed his gratitude to CIDA and IICA on behalf of the people of Jamaica, particularly the fisherfolk and the communities of the three beneficiary beaches.

“Thank you for the kind gift and (we) assure you that we will be maintaining these beaches and we’ll be using them to improve not only the communities but the livelihood of the fisherfolk in those specific areas,” he said.