Fishers In St. Elizabeth And Westmoreland Get Boats And Engines
By: , August 14, 2025
Photo: Serena Grant
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, addresses the handover ceremony for boats and engines to fishers from St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland, at the office of the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) in Black River, St. Elizabeth, on Wednesday (August 13).
Photo: Serena Grant
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green (centre), with fisherman from Parottee, St. Elizabeth, Oneil Whyte (second left), who received one of the boats donated by the Ministry to fishers in St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland. Occasion was the handover ceremony at the office of the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) in Black River, St. Elizabeth, on Wednesday (August 13). Joining them are (from left) State Minister in the Ministry, Hon. Franklin Witter; Mayor of Black River, Richard Solomon, and Chief Executive Officer at the NFA, Dr. Gavin Bellamy.The Full Story
Fishers from St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland have received boats and engines from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, under its new Fisheries Incentive Programme, aimed at supporting the next generation of fishers and strengthening Jamaica’s food security.
Addressing the handover ceremony at the office of the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) in Black River, on August 13, Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, emphasised the Government’s commitment to placing fishers on equal footing with farmers.
“For a long time, our fishers felt like they were treated as secondary by even the Ministry. When I became Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, I said we have to ensure that our fishers get the same priority treatment like our farmers and that is why we started our fisheries incentive programme,” Mr. Green said.
The five-year programme will provide boats and engines to fishers across Jamaica, beginning with 20 fishing beaches in the 2025/2026 financial year.
In St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland, the first beneficiaries hail from Galleon, Parottee and Billy’s Bay in St. Elizabeth and Gilling’s Gully and Bluefields in Westmoreland.
“This is not a one-year programme. It will run for the next five years. We are going to continue to do this programme, and because the feedback has been so good, we want to expand it from 20 to 40 boats next year, so that we can touch more lives,” the Minister said.
He encouraged recipients to take care of the equipment and to employ best fishing practices to ensure sustainability.
“These boats are purpose-built. They should allow you to go farther. Use best practices. Don’t overfish. We depend on the sea, and if we exploit it too much, we will not have anything to depend on,” he advised.
For his part, State Minister in the Ministry, Hon. Franklin Witter, said the programme demonstrates the Government’s commitment to empowering fishers and promoting sustainable fisheries.
The Fisheries Incentive Programme forms part of the Government’s strategy to modernise Jamaica’s fisheries sector, strengthen local food security, and encourage young people to pursue careers in fishing.