Letter of the Day | Address the woes of our fishermen

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I have had more than 30 years’ association with Jamaica’s fishing industry. I was the captain of a lobster-fishing vessel and I have owned and operated a snapper boat. I also served in the Coast Guard, and I have imported frozen fish into Jamaica. It would be correct to say I know a thing or two about Jamaica’s fishing industry.

So one may understand my dismay at the foreign affairs minister’s statement regarding the 34 Jamaican fishermen detained by the Colombian authorities for fishing in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) claimed by that country. The minister is reported to have said in Parliament that “I want to call on our boat owners and operators and the captains of these vessels to fish responsibly in our waters”. This statement highlights a woeful lack of understanding of this issue.

The fact is that all of Jamaica’s fishing grounds, both inshore and offshore, are desperately overfished and there is very little fish to be caught. It is the reason ‘quality’ fish sells for US$6 per pound on the beach in this country, and also why the 14,000 or so mainly artisan fishermen in the industry are finding it increasingly difficult to sustain themselves and their families from fishing.

Consequently, out of desperation, many of our fishermen have become involved in gunrunning from Haiti and some Central American countries, while others have resorted to poaching fish from the claimed EEZs of other countries. This, I posit, is the real issue.

The minister of foreign affairs is uniquely placed to be part of the solution to this problem. There are several disputed fishing grounds that are located in the overlap of the EEZs claimed by our neighbours to the southwest of Jamaica and our own EEZ. The minister would be well advised to negotiate treaties with these countries to grant access to these fishing grounds by our fishermen.

Many of our neighbours are not fond of several of the species of fish we readily consume here in Jamaica – parrot, grunt, pargy, wenchman, barracuda and turbot are a few that come to mind.

I can’t see why we are not trying to negotiate agreements with neighbouring countries to fish exclusively for these species within their EEZs.

This would provide better opportunities for our fishermen to earn a decent living, and not turn to illegal activities. This would be the ‘responsible’ thing for the minister to do.

ALWYN GREGORY