Fishers Can Earn More, Says Technical Director

Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Marc Panton, says earning from the fishing sector can be increased, if fisherfolk adhere to the best practices the Government is promoting.
“Fisherfolk can make more return, but we have to look at how we are going to develop our fisheries sector in a way that your children will be able to benefit from fishery,” he said.
He said this means that what is taken out has to be balanced by what is actually being reproduced.

Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Marc Panton (right), conversing with Executive Director of the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM), Ingrid Parchment at a fisheries forum staged by the Portland Bight Fisheries Management Council at Monymusk Sports Club Clarendon, on Tuesday (June 29).

Dr. Panton was speaking at a fisheries forum at the Monymusk Sports Club, Clarendon on Tuesday (June 29), hosted by the Portland Bight Fisheries Management Council.
He added that part of the Government’s thrust to ensure the viability and sustainability of the fishing industry, was the erection of sanctuaries at various spots.
“You allow the fishes to grow and they, in turn, can reproduce,” he said, while urging players in the industry not to catch young fish, and to help make the sector economically viable and lasting.
He also urged participants in the forum to help to expose persons engaged in illegal fishing practices, by reporting them to Crime Stop which offers a monetary reward.
“We cannot police all the fishing areas across Jamaica. We have to rely on the good people who know the value of our fishing industry. You have to work with us to stem some of the illegal things that are happening,” he said.
“Our goal is to ensure that the environment in which the fishers work is clean and is encouraging of good work ethics,” he added. As part of plans to revitalise the fisheries sector, the Government embarked on a programme to regulate the sector, by introducing legislation forbidding fishing practices that are detrimental, and to improve the physical environment of major fishing beaches across the island.