The production of fish dipped by an estimated 10.2 per cent in 2020, due mainly to measures to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, but rising costs, climate change, and illegal activities also played a role in the decline.

Data from the Economic and Social Survey of Jamaica (ESSJ) 2020 show fish production declined across both marine and acquaculture operations.

The data show that in 2020, total fish production from marine sources fell nine point three per cent to 11, 226 tonnes. At the same time, acquaculture production, mainly tilapia, fell 20 point four per cent to 912 tonnes.

The ESSJ outlined that “the fall-off in marine fish production was due to the scaling down of operations of many hotels and food establishments consequent on measures to stem the spread of COVID-19; climate change effects; illegal, unregulated, unreported fishing and increasing prices of fuel for outboard engines, that limited fishing activities.”

For tilapia, the decline recorded in 2020 was the third-straight year of lower production following five steady years of growth from 2012 to 2017.

The decline in harvest stemmed from an unavailability of juvenile fish for farmers to grow, setback brought about by the pandemic and tropical storm conditions, which resulted in fish wash-out, infrastructural and road damage.