MONTEGO BAY, St James — While Jamaica has suffered no adverse impact from the hurricane season now under way, news that Erin strengthened into a hurricane on Friday, as it approached the north-east Caribbean, has sparked fear in some fishers in St James.

Erin is expected to remain over open waters, although tropical storm watches were issued for Anguilla, St Martin, St Barts, Saba, St Eustatius, and St Maarten, on Friday.

Jamaica is not in the path of Erin but the fishers in St James say they are watchful as a number of them are still recovering from the impact of Hurricane Beryl last year.

The fishers claim they received little or no support after Hurricane Beryl side-wiped the island in July 2024.

“A lot of people still haven’t gotten much assistance, just balancing themselves up and getting them vessels back together,” chairman of the Montego Bay Fisherman’s Co-operative Society Richard Bowen told the Jamaica Observer.

“Some people are still on the land who haven’t gotten na engine and haven’t gotten a vessel and some of them are indigent to the point where they can’t even afford to fix their own boats, so it has set back the fishing a lot,” added Bowen.

He explained that a number of fisherfolk received grants and vouchers to assist them in getting back on their feet but not everyone has benefited.

“Some have gotten something, small as it may be, but others haven’t gotten anything. I guess we will just have to try and seek assistance and we would like to get as much assistance as we can from the powers that be,” Bowen continued as he lamented the treatment.

“Sometimes it feels like the fisherman get left behind but we still have to trod along and sometimes they don’t pay that much attention to fisherfolks,” he said.

Wind, rain and storm surges associated with Beryl damaged or destroyed boats, fish pots, and nets belonging to several fishers mainly on Jamaica’s north and south coasts.

“I lost 60 fish pots, some people have [lost] less but the support to get them back has not been coming,” a director of the Montego Bay Fisherman’s Co-operative Society Norman Bell told the Observer.

He said that it costs a tidy sum to replace what he lost and charged that the support fishers received is not enough to help them get back to to their livelihoods.

“A roll of wire costs $20,000, the sticks is another cost and the $50,000 that some people have gotten can barely get them back on their feet,” said Bell.

He said that he lost an engine and had to sell one boat to buy an engine to re-equip another vessel following Beryl. According to Bell, the repaired boat returned to water just a few days ago.

“I sold the boat for $1 million and bought an engine for over $600,000 and had to get resin and all that and basically nothing left; this is expensive, man,” declared Bell as he explained that he is trying again.

He said that what had been happening was that some fishers have had to be doing things to help others try to get back on their feet because what they have received has not been enough while some have received nothing at all.

“A lot of nights we have to cut fish pots and help people with wire and those things,” said an emotional Bell.

“This man ride a bike a do some delivery to try and get some money to build back himself,” Bell said, pointing to another fisherman at the village.

“That guy over there lose 10 fish pots and other people lose and nothing them no get,” Bell lamented.

A number of fishermen explained that to make a living they have had to adjust to sailing on different boats or buying and selling fish.

There have been reports that the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and other agencies, have been making donations of vouchers and grants to fishers affected.

Bowen, however, laments the pace of delivery.

“Sometimes you don’t get the assistance promptly because you know everything with Government takes time,” said Bell.

With the current Atlantic hurricane season taking shape, Bowen and others are now worried how fishers, especially those who are still trying to recover, will manage.

“We have to pray no damage don’t happen which would push some people even further back. You didn’t get a chance to balance yourself then this would be a worse situation,” added Bowen.

He said that they are now working to educate the fishers on how best they can protect themselves in the event of a disaster and the co-operative will be working hard to also get as much support for their members from various places as their recovery efforts continue.

In the meantime, Bell said he has to be very cautious given what he has been through with Beryl.

“You see the pots them over there, I am afraid to bring them out there even if I get the sticks them now,” he said.

Director of the Montego Bay Fisherman’s Co-operative Society Norman Bell stands beside some fish pots that were damaged during Hurricane Beryl.

Chairman of the Montego Bay Fisherman’s Co-operative Society Richard Bowen and Director Norman Bell work together to bring a boat to shore.