ST ANN, Jamaica – Fishers in several communities across several parishes are being trained in the utilisation of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) and deep line fishing techniques.

The training will target about 20 fishers per community across the parishes of Portland, St Mary, St Ann, St James, Hanover and Westmoreland.

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green, said the training is a response to the reality that nearshore fishing is declining as Jamaica’s fish population has been significantly depleted and needs to be replenished.

“What we have seen across the region is that using these fish aggregating devices, which have proven to be safe and sustainable, is that our fishers are getting better catches,” said Green.

The minister was addressing stakeholders at the second staging of the Ministry’s New FACE of Food Stakeholder Engagement Session, held at Wembley Centre of Excellence in Hayes, Clarendon, on Friday, November 3.

Minister Green also outlined that the Ministry will be training artisanal fishers in deep line or long line fishing in an effort to ease the burden on fish stock near shore as well as allow our fishers to capitalise on the variety of fish that exist further out in our waters.

“We expect to have a new long line boat to come in December this year, which will allow us to truly train and help our fishers go further out to capture the bay fish and maximise their profits,” he said.