Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, speaking at the presentation of training certificates and pelagic fishing equipment handing over ceremony held on Wednesday, April 17 at the Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory, Discovery Bay, St. Ann.

For Immediate Release
April 18, 2024

Jamaica is among the top consumers of fish per capita globally, with 68 % of the fish consumed locally being imported.

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, the Hon. Floyd Green, said the Ministry is making every effort to address this excessive import rate through the provision of training and resources to retool and upskill fishers.

“The only way we can put a stop to that [the high importation of fish products] is by ensuring that our fishers are able to go further out and to treat with the realities of climate change,” he said speaking at the presentation of training certificates and pelagic fishing equipment handing over ceremony held on Wednesday, April 17 at the Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory, Discovery Bay, St. Ann.
The Pelagic Fishing Pilot Project is being executed under the Promoting Community Based Climate Resilience in the Fisheries Sector Project. It is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, through the National Fisheries Authority (NFA), in response to the need to provide fishers with alternative livelihoods due to the stress that is placed on nearshore fish stock as a result of overfishing and climate change.

Minister Green has expressed commendations to the World Bank Group and the NFA for their involvement in the execution of the project, citing it as one of the “one of the best projects ever crafted across the ministry.”

“It looks at all the challenges that we have traditionally faced in our fisheries sector, and it prescribes the solutions, and it works out how we can get there. That is why we are very happy that the World Bank has come on board and has supported this to the tune of four million USD to allow us to do a comprehensive fisheries programme,” he outlined.
Minister Green said that the pilot project is one of many to be executed under the Promoting Community Based Climate Resilience in the Fisheries Sector Project and will focus on skill-based training using experts from across the region. He adds that the target of the 8 pilot projects will be small artisanal fishers and not commercial vessels.
“What we have brought are people from Grenada who have done it in their own neck of the woods. We are looking at how can we train our small artisanal fishers in using longline and fish aggregating devices (FADS). This pilot project will target 280 fisherfolks across seven fishing communities,” Green explained.
Outside of the training, the Ministry will be retrofitting 6 vessels from each of the seven fishing communities with ice boxes, VHF radios and GPS equipment to facilitate long line fishing activities. Additionally, a pelagic training vessel has been purchased and has recently arrived in the island. The vessel will be used to continue the training.
Moreover, the Ministry plans to distribute 100 GPS devices to local fisherfolk across varying fishing beaches and enhance the Fisheries Incentive Programme with increased training and input supplies.

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