CONTINUING its support to hurricane-affected fishing communities, the Sandals Foundation has partnered with Good360 to equip 170 fishers from Belmont in Westmoreland, and Galleon and Parrottee in St Elizabeth, with critical mesh wire that will be transformed into as many as 850 fish pots, further strengthening livelihoods and local food supply across Jamaica’s western coastline.

The wire, valued at $2.97 million, supports the coastal districts where the October 2025 Hurricane Melissa dismantled fishing gear, disrupted income streams, and placed added strain on already vulnerable food systems.

The initiative will be implemented through local fishing leaders who will oversee the equitable distribution of materials to those most impacted by the Category 5 storm.

This latest distribution builds on a series of targeted interventions delivered by the philanthropic organisation over the past six months.

In November, the Sandals Foundation distributed 120 rolls of fish wire and 6,720 litres of gasoline — courtesy of RUBiS Energy Jamaica — to more than 100 fishers in Whitehouse and Old Bay. The intervention enabled the production of up to 600 fish pots and the restart of fishing operations. Earlier this year, a partnership with Good360 also saw the provision of more than 50 generators to fishing villages and schools, to continue the recovery process.

“Rebuilding takes root when people are able to earn again,” said Heidi Clarke, executive director of the Sandals Foundation.

“For fishers, that begins with the tools to return to sea. This continued support is about restoring independence, strengthening communities, and ensuring that the systems people rely on every day can function again,” added Clarke.

Meanwhile, Morgan Loomis, vice-president of disaster response and recovery at Good360, underscored that recovery from a storm like Hurricane Melissa takes months, sometimes years.

“For coastal communities, the storm destroyed people’s homes and livelihoods overnight. Our work with the Sandals Foundation is changing that reality. When fisherfolk have access to critical materials like fishing wire, the ripple effects reach the entire community. Fishers get back to work. Pot-makers have orders to fill. Families have income. Children stay in school. That is what meaningful recovery looks like in action,” said Loomis.

The Sandals Foundation has noted that across the Caribbean, coastal fishing communities play an outsized role in national food security and local economies. Strengthening their recovery is not just about rebuilding individual livelihoods — it is about reinforcing the systems that sustain entire populations.

Heidi Clarke (left), executive director of the Sandals Foundation, shares a moment with Deceita Turner, president of the Bluefields Bay Fisherman’s Friendly Society, as continued support reaches south coast communities — strengthening livelihoods, restoring momentum, and helping coastal families rise stronger.

Fisherman Damion Heath stands beside a just-constructed fish pot frame.

More than a livelihood. A legacy. Fisherman Dejani Simms (left), and his cousin Davaun Brown, an apprentice, prepare critical fishing wire in Whitehouse — showing how resilience, skill and opportunity are carried from one generation to the next.