B&D TRAWLING is looking to extend its seafood purchasing network to fishing communities that raise fish in ocean cages, after buying Jamaica’s first successful marine cage harvest and reporting encouraging early sales.

The company purchased the approximately 5,000-pound full harvest of red drum from a National Fisheries Authority (NFA) pilot and is testing consumer demand through its downtown Kingston retail outlet. Chief Executive Officer Roderick Francis said the fish would be priced below snapper and competitively with kingfish and imported sea trout.

Francis also sees scope for coastal communities to become suppliers of farmed seafood alongside the fishermen from whom the company already buys.

“We see an opportunity to extend this model to fishing communities that establish their own ocean cages, creating a market for their products while providing fishermen and their families with an additional source of income,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

The October 8 harvest at the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard Operational Base in Bowden, St Thomas, followed a seven-month pilot led by the NFA in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

Marine cage farming involves raising fish in enclosures at sea, adding another potential source of local seafood to Jamaica’s established freshwater aquaculture industry, which includes tilapia grown in land-based ponds.

B&D was the successful bidder for the entire pilot harvest. Francis did not disclose the purchase price or retail prices, but said the amount customers pay would depend on how the fish is prepared.

Roderick Francis, chief executive officer of B&D Trawling Limited, observes the technical team at work during Jamaica’s first marine cage culture harvest, marking progress towards new opportunities for local seafood production.

“Pricing will vary depending on the product format, as fillets and other processed portions yield less saleable weight than whole fish. Our goal is to offer Jamaicans an affordable source of healthy, locally raised seafood,” he said.

The company is selling whole fish, fillets and sliced portions while gathering feedback on customer preferences. For now, it is concentrating on retail sales rather than approaching supermarkets or hotels.

“The initial market trial is expected to be relatively short, as the fish is already selling quickly and the response has been very encouraging,” Francis told the Business Observer.

Those sales will help B&D assess demand, although moving from a single harvest to a dependable commercial supply will require producers to address costs, farming conditions and the timing of production.

Francis identified the cost and availability of high-quality fish feed as one of the biggest hurdles, alongside suitable sites, storm protection, technical support and environmental management. He said government assistance to improve access to competitively priced feed could help make production viable.

Regular harvesting would also require farms to stagger their production cycles, rather than bring all their fish to market at once.

“Based on the NFA pilot’s two large commercial cages, I believe approximately 12 cages operating on staggered cycles could provide a starting point for a more consistent supply, potentially supporting monthly harvests,” he said.

Multi-trophic aquaculture testing

Meanwhile, B&D is working with the Alligator Head Foundation and the Drapers Fishermen’s Harbour Association in Portland to explore integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, an approach involving the farming of multiple species at different depths in the same area.

Francis said that initiative is supported by a grant from the Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility and aims to develop a commercially viable, environmentally responsible model that provides additional income for fishermen and their families.

Consumer preferences will help determine which species have the best prospects. However, he reasoned that familiar fish such as red snapper typically sold whole at around a pound or less, could be a good fit, provided their technical and economic feasibility is established.

“For locally farmed fish to be commercially viable, the species, size and price must meet consumer preference. Consistent supply and competitive pricing against imported fish would also be important,” he said.

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green and senior research officer in the NFA’s Aquaculture Division Leanne Morris Bennett, pose with freshly harvested red drum from the Red Drum Project in Bowden, St Thomas.