FISHERFOLK from the Bluefields Bay Fishermen’s Friendly Society in Westmoreland were presented with 50 rolls of mesh wire to make fish traps, last Thursday.

The rolls of one-and-a-half inch wire, which cost US$5,000, were provided under the C-Fish Initiative, a partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Caribsave Jamaica, and is intended to ensure more sustainable fishing.

The presentation took place on the Bluefields Bay Beach, where Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and Member of Parliament for Eastern Westmoreland, Luther Buchanan was guest speaker.

Buchanan said the donation came against the background of a depletion of fish stock due mainly to the use of the wrong size mesh in the construction of fish traps.

“One of the challenges we face as a country, as it relates to fishing, is the untenable situation of the depletion of our marine fish stock due to overfishing. This is further aggravated by the use of the incorrect size mesh wire, which results in harvesting of juvenile fish and lobsters and it can never be over-emphasised…the importance of sticking to the regulated size wire for the purposes of fishing,” he pointed out.

Buchanan added that measures are in place for the constant monitoring of fishing activities across the island and persons found using the wrong size wire will be punished.

“Let me remind you that the use of any other size mesh, apart from the inch and a half, is illegal, and the marine wardens will be vigilant in confiscating unregulated fish traps, and there is a fine. We don’t want to fine people…we want our fisherfolk to conform to the law which, in turn, will enhance the fishing industry, so that the generations to come can make a livelihood from fishing”, Buchanan stated.

He said the ministry has spent some $40.4 million on the management of 14 special fisheries conservation areas across the island, which has resulted not only in an increase in the fish stock, but also in the size of catches.

The state minister, meanwhile, hailed the collaboration with Caribsave Jamaica under the C-Fish Initiative. He said with over 40,000 persons being employed in the fishing industry, partnerships such as that forged with Caribsave would go a long way in protecting and preserving the industry.

National Coordinator of Caribsave Jamaica, Michelle McNaught, who also spoke at the presentation ceremony, said the partnership with the Bluefields Bay Fishermen’s Friendly Society started over two years ago.

The C-Fish is a four-year regional project working in five Caribbean islands, spanning 15 marine protected areas with a view to improving the management of marine resources.

— JIS