Leaders Call for end to Practices that Could Harm Fishing Industry

Leaders in the fisheries sector are calling for the cessation of practices that could destroy the industry, thereby preserving the livelihood of many persons and generations to come.
“The dynamiting must be totally eliminated; no one should dynamite the coral reefs. In the past, fishers could catch very large fish, but today most of the catch consists of small ones, and they have to go far to catch a fish of reasonable size,” Vice President of the Old Harbour Bay Community Development Association, Sandra Nembhard, told JIS News.
She was participating at a forum, held at the Monymusk Sport Club, in Clarendon, on June 29, put on by the Portland Bight Fisheries Management Council, and the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM).
Several presentations on best practices for the industry were made by personnel from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Ms. Nembhard said the policy by the Government to establish fish sanctuaries was a good one, and persons should protect them for the long term, and the future of Jamaica’s fishing industry.
For his part, Chairman of the Rocky Point Fishermen Co-operative, Keith Myrie said that the benefits to be derived from the fishing sanctuaries would be seen over a period of time, and every fisher folk should work with it.
Meanwhile, Executive Director of C-CAM, Ingrid Parchment, said the organization was committed to working with the Portland Bight Fisheries Management Council, the Fisheries Division, and all stakeholders in the industry.
“This is to ensure that the process of public education moves forward, and in a way that preserves our industry, and improves the livelihood of fishers,” she said.