Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith is insisting that boat owners, captains of vessels, and fisherfolk must operate responsibly on the high seas as illegal fishing is a major international issue which could land them in prison overseas.

She said that such individuals must recognise that times have evolved and countries have changed their laws: “Vessels are seized, that’s part of a judicial process, [and] the crew is liable to be imprisoned, [it’s a] judicial process. They are not political processes in which governments can engage. If a decision is taken to commence that process it becomes very difficult. Fish responsibly in our waters.”

Johnson Smith, who was making her contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on Friday, also urged boat owners to insure their vessels not only against damage but loss and seizure, and importantly, for the care and protection of crews.

“It is not responsible to send people’s children out on the high seas without consideration of the risk and the protection needed, and to simply say when they call in distress, ‘the Government must.’ You have a responsibility, and I want to call on them to be more thoughtful in this regard,” she stressed.

She said the foreign affairs ministry will be collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to develop policy on how to address these matters. “We do believe that we are in circumstances where we can no longer treat them in an ad-hoc manner, we need a full policy across Government to treat with such matters going forward,” she stated.

Johnson Smith advised that the ministry hopes to achieve positive results regarding the current case involving 34 fishermen who were believed to have been fishing illegally in Colombian waters.

“There are eight other persons on the vessel who are non-nationals of Jamaica but who are claiming relationships to persons in Jamaica who are also on the same vessels. We have engaged with the owner of the vessels and we are working with our embassy and our Colombian partners to process the group for repatriation to Jamaica,” she said.

Johnson Smith told the Senate that the ministry has facilitated the repatriation of scores of fishermen who found themselves in distress at sea in other countries in the region. “Tending to the urgent need of Jamaican fishermen in distressed situations overseas has been one of our major consular activities over the last several years, in particular,” she said, noting that there have been a number of cases involving Jamaicans rescued at sea, such as the case of the 28 fishermen who were brought home after their boat exploded off the coast of Colombia, as well as others detained for illegal activities.

Almost 150 Jamaican nationals were repatriated in recent years under those circumstances, she pointed out.

Meanwhile, she said the foreign affairs ministry will shortly launch an online portal for the registration of Jamaican nationals who are travelling overseas short term that will establish a comprehensive database on individuals’ overseas travel, which will be removed from the portal upon the return date, once that is indicated.

“During the pandemic, a form was actually put up on the website, [but] we have recognised that this is absolutely not sufficient. It [locating and repatriating Jamaicans during the pandemic] was an extremely difficult process. An online portal which provides one single database that allows persons data to also be removed when they set the date of their return is a way in which we can ensure that if there is that type of event once more – and even smaller events – and are contacted by the family, we will be in a position to be able to reach out to our people,” the minister outlined.

She noted the importance of the portal in the face of an increasing number of emergency situations, such as worsening natural disasters, pandemics, outbreaks of civil unrest and terrorism, and human trafficking.