Treasure Beach fisherfolk struggle amid depleted fish stock, theft and closed lobster season
ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica — We went in search of crocodile tales and stories of shark attacks, but the fisherfolk in Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth highlighted far more pressing issues at hand. With looks of gloom plastered across their faces and a heavy tone of disappointment, the fishermen revealed that over the past few months their livelihoods have been taking one hard hit after the other.
From depleting fish stocks to thieves plaguing their boats and already small fish pots, Treasure Beach fishermen say the harsh conditions have left a severe dent in their pockets. What’s worse, they say the hurricane season – which began June 1 and runs until November 30 – is expected to deliver a further blow to their livelihoods with periods of adverse weather conditions over the next six months.
“Lord Jesus Christ, it rough. You go a sea two time and can’t even pay fi di gas. Everytime mi a go a sea, is eight gallons a gas and dat is, call it $7,000. If the day good and yuh get a good catch you can make money but whole heap a time you go and can’t even buy gas fi go back a next day. And yuh have a moss (seaweed) out deh weh a mash wi up. We can’t throw over we line for as we throw it over so, all it ketch is moss,” said a fisherman who goes by the alias, Ken Dog.
Poaching and overfishing by locals and foreigners have contributed to the depletion of the local seafood stock, with fisherfolk reporting that they are now mostly catching lionfish, which they say is not popular in the market.
Ken Dog told OBSERVER ONLINE that he has been fishing since age 12. Now 68-years-old, Ken Dog highlighted that in his more than five decades fishing, he’s now encountering some of his most difficult days.
When asked what periods are the busiest, Ken Dog lamented, “tell yuh di truth, a long time we nuh have dat. Dat gone, dat nuh deh again, trust me.”
The fisherman revealed that the bulk of profits made by his colleagues are acquired via the sale of lobster, but with lobster season being closed – meaning fishing of the high value item is not permitted – until the end of June, Ken Dog said the business has been hand-to-mouth over the last few months.
“A lobster we make the bulk a our money from but we can’t ketch lobster yah now. Right there we woulda make a money because we supply most of the hotels with lobster. Yuh ketch lobster now yuh affi let dem out back,” he continued, indicating that fishermen are losing, on average, $60,000 weekly during the closed lobster season.
“Sometimes you go (out to sea), yuh don’t ketch nothing. Yuh affi make sure yuh have a quatty put one side yuh can buy one pound a flour and one tin mackerel and yuh have dinner.”
His colleague who goes by the name Blanco shared similar experiences. He told OBSERVER ONLINE that although the closed lobster season is only for three months out of the year, that period feels like torture for fishing folk who, without the sales from lobster, rarely yield profits from their catches.
“Most man fish off near sea here, so it’s lobster. So when lobster season ban, man wi go sea and ketch dem and affi tun dem out back. If the season fi di ban up deh near, yuh can save dem inna your pan but yuh can’t save dem fi too long. If no thief nuh go haul dem out, when the season start again, yuh can make a money,” Blanco said before breaking down the profits from lobster sales.
“When lobster sell yuh can get $600-700 per pound on average. And sometimes you go sea yuh ketch all 100 lb, some man ketch 300 lb. Yuh know 100 lb a gi one $60,000 so 300 lb a gi yuh $180,000,” he explained.
He went on to express that while lobster season is set to start soon, the hurricane season will likely dampen spirits.
“When is not one thing, is the other. Dat (the hurricane season) ago kill we now,” Blanco said. “June and July, a terrible month dem deh fi fisherman.”
Since the start of the hurricane season on June 1, the island has been experiencing mostly unstable weather associated with a trough across the western Caribbean.
Using the opportunity to plead with the Government for assistance, Ken Dog and Blanco said if the authorities could provide wire and other raw materials to build pots periodically, it would be greatly appreciated.
“We nah get no help from the Government. If we coulda get two roll a wire, some lace, dat woulda be nice. If dem coulda give each fisherman pan each beach, two roll a wire fi dem pots, a man can try find supmn else fi dem self. We a hustler, we can help wi self but we need some assistance from the Government,” Blanco lamented.
He’s also calling on the relevant authorities to help them secure their belongings, highlighting that thieves have been targeting the area for quite some time.
“Sometime di man dem come and just take yuh pot and gone wid dem. If things inna di pot, thief come haul dem out inna night and gone wid dem same way. Right now mi deh pan go slow because di man dem thief out mi engine outta mi boat. Dem gone wid all mi dog,” said Blanco.
He is hoping security on the beach can be ramped up.
“Mi a di only security pan di beach and when hours come fi mi go home to my wife and pickney dem, mi gone home. So mi woulda love if we can work out a way fi secure di fisherman things dem.”