Fishers Advised to Designate Shore-Based Emergency Contacts

The Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) is urging fishers to identify individuals ashore as emergency contacts before venturing out to sea.

Marine Inspector, Norman Thompson, noted that this measure is critical to supporting recovery efforts in the event fishers go missing.

“Occasionally, fishers get stranded at sea. So, it’s advised that before they go to sea, they notify a family member or a friend of the destination of operation, just in case they get stranded and a search and rescue operation needs to be initiated. It would make that process more effective and efficient,” he said.

Mr. Thompson was speaking during a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ at the Agency’s Television Department in Kingston.

He also encourages fishing vessel operators to pay attention to weather reports from the Meteorological Office of Jamaica.

“These reports are very important. They give you a three-day forecast, so you can anticipate the weather and you can make safe decisions as to whether or not you should go to sea,” Mr. Thompson said.

Before venturing out, fishers should be equipped with the technical competencies and physical resources necessary to manage emergency situations effectively.

Mr. Thompson said Very High Frequency (VHF) radios for communication and navigational lights for nighttime identification are essentials that fishers should not be without.

“The navigational lights would comprise a port side light, which is red, starboard side light, which is green, and a mast headlight, which is at the forward of the vessel, and it’s white. The stern light, which is also white, is found at the back of the vessel… so those are required. An anchor is also necessary. Just in case of emergencies, you can release the anchor so that the vessel can hold in the water,” he explained.

Crew members must also be familiar with distress signals, including the use of hand flares.

These signals may include mayday communication and hand gestures used to indicate emergencies.