MONTEGO BAY, St James-

Fisherfolk in St James are reporting heavy financial losses due to the heavy rains that have been lashing sections of the parish over the last two weeks.

“We believe that the losses are somewhere in the region of $5 million, but we can’t give a final total now because up to this morning scores of fish traps could not be retrieved because the water is still murky,” President of the Whitehouse Fishermen’s Co-operative, Troy Jump told the Observer West on Tuesday.

According to Jump, the estimated loss due to the unfavourable weather conditions was tabulated based on the damage done to scores of fish traps, as well as the loss in revenue.

He explained that the fishermen’s problems were further compounded by the ongoing hotel and road construction works taking place in the Rose Hall area.

“What is happening is that during the rains most of the stuff that is washed into the sea is marl associated with the developments in the area, and this gives off an acidic substance which cause the wires used to make the traps rot,” Jump pointed out.

Additionally, he said, the murky water makes it difficult for the fishermen to access their traps.

For years the just under 100 fishermen, who are members of the Whitehouse Fishermen’s Co-operative, have been complaining that they have been losing millions of dollars in revenue and equipment as a result of developments in the area.

In 1999, then Prime Minister P J Patterson mandated his environment minister Horace Dalley and a number of government agencies to investigate allegations by the fishermen that their income were cut since the development of the upscale Ritz Carlton Hotel in Rose Hall.

The fishermen at that time charged that as a result of the development there was a run-off of mud and marl into the sea, which destroyed their traps and were seeking $10 million in compensation from the government.

But after several meetings between the parties involved, the fishermen received $3 million in compensation from government.

On Tuesday Jump told the Observer West that the co-operative, which was established almost two decades ago to provide assistance to its members, was no longer in a position to assist them, due to severe financial losses in recent years.

“Over the years we (co-operative) have purchased wires and credit it to the fishermen and ask them to pay for it in instalments, but what we find is that in most cases the fishermen can’t afford to pay it back so we have to write it off as bad debt,” Jump explained. “The co-op right now is almost non-functional because the money isn’t really coming in. “Right now we have people owing the co-op thousands of dollars.”