Annotto Bay Fishing Village receives FFP facelift
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Annotto Bay Fishing Village has benefitted from a community clean up in commemoration of International Coastal Cleanup Day hosted by Food For the Poor (FFP) in partnership with the East St Mary Fisherman’s Friendly Society and members of the community.
The clean up, aimed at rejuvenating the village and advancing much desired coastal clean up efforts, was done from September 24 to September 26. The Annotto Bay Fishing Village is one of several fishing villages FFP has monitored and provided support for in fisheries/business management, inclusive of training where required, for over 10 years.
According to FFP, the facelift, done in keeping with the Government of Jamaica’s COVID-19 protocols, included the clearing of bush, cleaning of structures and grounds, painting, installation of 250 feet of fencing around the property and the clearing and cleaning of the former processing and storage facility.
In speaking on the importance of the project, FFP Fishing and Agriculture Manager Sherron Barker noted that, “The Annotto Bay Fishing Village was established by FFP to support the fishermen. Over time and through heavy use, some of the areas became worn. As a result, and due to FFP’s commitment to the Annotto Bay community, we felt it was time to restore the premises.”
“The work done over the three-day period represented Phase One of an overall project to help upgrade the fishing village.
“Eventually, we will be considering replacing the deteriorated freezers once donated by FFP to allow storage and resurrect the seafood market. A bar and restaurant are also on the property and the community will now have a chance to use these for round robin, fundraising activities and other things. The community and the East St Mary Fisherman’s Friendly Society came together and offered their assistance with this project and for that FFP is grateful,” Barker continued.
“The fishing village is remarkably close to the sea so having it cleaned has helped in the removal of harmful garbage such as plastic. It has also helped in cutting down mosquito breeding. More importantly, the cleanup exercise has brought back community spirit and life to the fishing village. We cannot say thank you enough to FFP. The help we received from them was extraordinary,” stated Natalie Lynch, a representative of the Annotto Bay Fishing Village.
In addition to the clean-up exercise, six fruit trees were also donated by FFP and planted as part of FFP’s Fruits For the Poor tree planting initiative. Each fruit tree was adopted by members of the community for care and maintenance.