Westmoreland fisherfolk receive equipment from UWJ, JAS

Close to 100 fisherfolk in Westmoreland have become the first beneficiaries of the United Way of Jamaica’s (UWJ) partnership with the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS). The initial distribution from the UWJ Hurricane Melissa Restoration and Rehabilitation Fund was recently made at the Bluefields Bay Fishing Village, where fisherfolk received equipment including netting, ropes, ball floats and life vests. JAS, the logistics partner, sourced most of the supplies from the Fisheries Co-operative Credit Union.

The non-profit, private voluntary organisation has allocated $10 million for critical resources such as equipment, livestock feed, infrastructure rehabilitation and financial assistance to support the rebuilding of fishers and farmers islandwide.

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Floyd Green said the ministry plans to rehabilitate fishing beaches across the island. “Work has already started in White House, where we are putting in a new fuel system for the fishers. The offices are also being redone and we intend to do more over the next financial year,” he said. He praised fishers and farmers as the “strongest people in our country”, noting that regardless of the circumstances, “they keep going back” and only require support to continue.

Interventions such as this first tranche of UWJ/JAS assistance are necessary, as the National Fisheries Authority has preliminarily estimated damage to the sector at $3 billion.

UWJ CEO Maureen Lynch said the organisation remains committed to supporting recovery efforts. “This initiative is part of the Hurricane Melissa Restoration and Rehabilitation Programme and is intended to restore the livelihoods of fisherfolk and farmers,” she said. “Today, these equipment re-establish the livelihoods and hope within the agricultural sector as well as to help build and maintain resilient communities.”

Several fisherfolk expressed gratitude for the support. Elvega Francis, who is rebuilding her business, urged Jamaicans to support local industries. “It is best to support our own. We are always bringing in a ‘fresh catch’ on the same day we go out fishing. It is definitely more healthy.”

UWJ and JAS have a long history of collaboration. “Our partnership has been many years in the making. We have been working together from as far back as Hurricane Ivan (2004) and even more recently after Hurricane Beryl (2024),” said JAS CEO Derron Grant. He noted that the recent hurricanes had sharply increased food prices and constrained supply, underscoring the essential role of fisherfolk and farmers. Hurricane Beryl and Hurricane Melissa caused extensive damage across the country, with preliminary estimates reaching about $30 billion. Grant also emphasised that every beneficiary received a life vest.

Lynch added that UWJ is undertaking further national initiatives. “We are also performing infrastructure restoration for early childhood institutions and high schools with other funds. Two weeks prior, $10 million was handed over to Belmont Academy, which is located near Bluefields Fishing Village, through our partnership with J.E.T.S. Limited,” she said.

United Way of Jamaica will distribute $100 million in donations from the J.E.T.S. Corporate Social Responsibility Programme. Eight entities shared $50 million in the first tranche: Belmont Academy received $10 million; St Elizabeth Technical High School, $7.5 million; William Knibb Memorial High School, $5 million; Hampton School for Girls, $5 million; Black River High School, $5 million; Manning’s School, $5 million; Mustard Seed Communities, $5 million; and the UWJ’s Agricultural Relief Effort, $5 million.