MONTEGO BAY, St James — Two fishermen got more than they bargained for when the law came knocking.

John Simon and Jerome Stephenson, of St James addresses, were fined in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday after being caught fishing without the required licence.

Court records show that around 8:00 am on June 29, a vigilant fisheries officer spotted the men in a canoe at River Bay Fishing Village on Howard Cooke Boulevard in Montego Bay. Their vessel carried three ice boxes brimming with fish; but when asked for licences, the men were unable to produce them. Arrested on the spot, they were later charged under the Fisheries Act, 2018.

When the matter was heard in court, presiding judge Diahann Bernard ordered each man to pay a fine of $10,000, or serve 10 days in prison.

Under Jamaica’s Fisheries Act (2018), all persons engaged in commercial or subsistence fishing are required to obtain a valid fishing licence issued by the National Fisheries Authority (NFA). The law also empowers fisheries officers to seize vessels, equipment, or catch if fishers are found in breach of regulations.

Licensing is considered a key measure in safeguarding the country’s fish stock, promoting sustainable fishing practices, and protecting the livelihoods of registered fishers.

The NFA has repeatedly urged compliance, warning that unlicensed fishing undermines efforts to properly monitor the industry, and enforces rules such as the annual closed seasons for protected species such as lobster and conch.