ORACABESSA, St Mary — The interaction with Crown Prince Haakon of Norway was brief but it left a deep impression on general manager of Oracabessa Fishing Sanctuary Inilek Wilmot.

“I was surprised at how knowledgeable he was of the marine environment. Based on what he asked, I could tell that he definitely has a genuine interest and background knowledge. It made it even a bit more interesting for me just to be able to interact,” Wilmot said on the sidelines of the Norwegian royal’s visit to the sanctuary on Tuesday afternoon.

The Crown Prince, who is also the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) goodwill ambassador, toured the facility with his team to get a first-hand look at the impact of US$20,000 in donations made by the UNDP-implemented Global Environment Facility (GEP) small grants programme.

“I can see that work is being done,” said Crown Prince Haakon as he explored the venue.

For Wilmot, this public recognition of the work carried out by his team means a lot.

“Working with small communities and implementing projects that are very focused on the community means a lot when you get recognition from outside of the community — especially when it comes to certain [notable figures] who are recognised by the world. Them coming in to highlight the work that we do, it is very important,” he said.

“I feel proud of the work that we have been doing, and we are grateful that his visit can bring this kind of attention to Oracabessa,” Wilmot added.

He is hoping this recognition of their hard work will also translate into additional funding.

The Oracabessa Marine Trust is hoping to secure an additional US$50,000 through the GEP small grants programme to implement other projects it thinks will benefit Oracabessa, and even other communities outside of St Mary.

“There are several aspects to the proposal we have; we want to expand some of the work we are doing in Oracabessa to other communities in Trelawny and Montego Bay as well as to support fishers with their livelihoods. Our aim is to train some fishermen in agriculture and diversify their income streams; there are also some additional things to be done,” Wilmot explained.

Tuesday’s visit by the
Crown Prince came on the heels of his trip to Rocky Point in Clarendon on Monday when he also assessed how UNDP and the small grants programme are helping to alleviate challenges facing locals whose livelihoods are linked to the sea.