KINGSTON, Jamaica – Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green, says the fisheries sector experienced continuous growth in 2023.

He commended the National Fisheries Authority (NFA), noting that as the Ministry continues to appropriately staff, resource and build out the NFA, the sector will see greater growth numbers.

“We, in 2021, would have seen 10,000 metric tons of our marine fish catch, and those included conch, lobster and shrimp. That rose to 10,696 metric tons in 2022 and we do expect that for the first time in our history, we will pass 11,000 metric tons for 2023, which is a continuous period of growth for our fisheries sector,” Green said.

He was speaking at a press briefing held on January 31 at the Ministry’s Hope Garden offices.

There has also been growth in relation to aquaculture and aquaculture production, which rose from 869 metric tons in 2021 to 948 metric tons in 2022. It is expected that this will rise to 954 metric tons in 2023.

“So, we are seeing a continuous rise in our fish production figures, but we are working to accelerate the pace of growth and we do hear some of the concerns being raised by our fisherfolk, and we do look to see how we can address them,” Green said.

Regarding fish sanctuaries, Green commended the nongovernmental organisation (NGO) network, which has given “tremendous service to building our ecosystem and helping us rebuild our marine population”.

“I met with them last week and we had tremendous discussions about what more can be done. Thankfully, we have been working with the World Bank, through a US$4 million grant, to build the capacity of the NFA and to directly assist some of our sanctuaries,” Green said.

“We do have a training vessel valued at US$250,000, which will arrive on the island on February 13, which will give the NFA greater capacity in leading training initiatives, including longline training initiatives for our artisanal fishers. More of them need to go further out to get a greater catch, to really increase their profitability, but they need the training. We have purchased a vessel through the help of the World Bank to provide that support,” he noted.

Additionally, under a joint agreement with HEART/NSTA Trust, three one-acre tilapia ponds have been renovated and retrofitted at the Ebony Park Agriculture Academy in Clarendon for training in aquaculture production, as well as curriculum development in food fish management and production, valued at US$106,000.

-JIS