The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, through the National Fisheries Authority (NFA), will be rehabilitating three fishing beaches this year in Clarendon, St. Elizabeth and Hanover.

The rehabilitation will include cold storage and sanitation facilities, safe food market arrangements, fishing equipment storage and general security systems.

Speaking during his sectoral presentation on May 12 under the theme ‘The New FACE of Food’, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Floyd Green, said this is part of a five-year project where 15 beaches will be rehabilitated at an estimated cost of $2.25 billion.

Additionally, the NFA is in the process of procuring 10 refrigerated containers that will be placed in fishing communities that meet the requirements to manage these cold-storage facilities.

Other initiatives announced by Minister Green included a national assessment programme, which will provide data that will aid in determining the diversity and abundance of reef fish, including parrotfish, and other herbivores. This will facilitate the implementation of an ecosystem-based approach to sustainable management of the fishery.

As it relates to managing the country’s fishery resources, Minister Green said the NFA will start consultation towards promulgating regulations that seek to establish minimum size limits on catch for all reef fish species this year.

The agency will also introduce regulations to govern and restrict the use of beach seines and trawl nets as well as provide guidelines for proper construction of these nets.

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