MONTEGO BAY, St James– A plan by the Spanish Jamaican Foundation and the Montego Bay Marine park to ease the pressure on the declining fish stock by training local fishermen to earn part of their livelihood as tour guides is being rejected by some old seafarers here.

” Me love fishing you know. It would be more joyful for me to hear say one boat come in and we can go further out along the south coast, catch and sell out fish and return on the weekends. If they are saying that the coast is overburden with fishing, give we a chance to go wider,” declared Trevor ‘Shampo’ Ebanks, a veteran fisherman.

Ebanks who has been fishing in the waters near the marine park for 40 years, was referring to the gift of a glass boat and training that will be made available to fishermen like himself under an MOU signed by the foundation, which comprises 9 spanish hotel interests here and park operators two weeks ago.

But, Brian Zane, managing director of the Montego Bay Marine Park, said the fishermen had missed the point.

“What we are effectively doing is highlighting the value of a living fish versus the value of a dead fish,” Zane argued. “You catch a fish and it is worth $300 per pound as against if that fish is still around you can bring people through and hopefully that fish will breed and you will be building up fishery so they (fishers) don’t have to be going out too deep”.

George Whitlock who has been fishing for the past 50 years and who lost two brothers to the sea while fishing years ago agreed with Ebanks.

” Any benefit should be for fishermen. Things pertaining to fishing. It seems as if they want to take away the beach from us. They have allowed hotels to be built at the small fish habitation and run away the fish.”

But, Nosaikman Wedderburn, president of the Montego Bay Fisherman’s Cooperative Society Limited, defended the MOU.

“Right now we are catching less and smaller fishes. Nobody is stopping fishermen from fishing. This is only for a period to allow the fish stock in the sanctuary to build up. This glass bottom boat is to let them have something so as to avoid starving while the (proverbial) grass is growing,” Weddeburn said.

He explained that the glass-bottom boat has been permitted to dock at the Secrets hotel to secure business. Income from the business will go to the fishing co-operative. Members will subsequently benefit from these funds during the periodical ‘rough seas’ which prevent fishing.

Dalton Grey, treasurer of the Montego Bay Fisherman’s Cooperative Society Limited, also expressed support for the MOU.

“We fishermen have been saying years ago help us to find decent alternative to fishing in the Marine Park. So I believe this glass botton boat thing is timely. It is a start,” Grey argued.

Citing the depletion of fish, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, earlier this year established a second fish sanctuary in the marine park. Fishing is restricted in these areas with an intent to rebuild the fish supply.

However yesterday the fishermen alleged that several factors including dredging to facilitate developments including the construction of hotels, pollution have also factored significantly to the decline of fish in the Montego Bay waters.