Tweet
Bluefields Bay fishers face new challenges
Janet Silvera, Hospitality Jamaica Coordinator
Now that the fishers at the Bluefields Bay Fish Sanctuary in Westmoreland have saved the marine life, they want cleaner water, says Wolde Kristos, president of the Bluefields Bay Fishermen Friendly Society.
Kristos' comments were made last week during a visit to the area by Hospitality Jamaica.
"We have a 300 per cent increase in marine life in the last three years," said Kristos. However, their latest challenge, he said, is the sewage disposal in the area, which is making its way into the ocean.
"One of the things affecting the area are the glorified pit latrines near the seaside," he revealed, adding that recently an ecoli test was done of the water, and the results showed that the situation needed to be rectified.
Some 900 houses are situated in Belmont District, where Bluefields in located. Ninety per cent of the people there need to upgrade to a proper septic system, said Kristos.
The sanctuary, which is owned by Government, is managed by the society. It is 3,054 acres of ocean bed, located in a six and a half mile radius.
It was established to bring back marine life, which had experienced severe depletion over time. Kristos said he and the fishers in the area had no other option but to stop the haemorrhaging that threatened to destroy their livelihood.
The citizens of Bluefields have been known to take their destiny into their own hands, boasting of their pioneering efforts in sustainable tourism development.
"Long before sustainable tourism development became popular, we were practising what we call best practices," boasted Kristos, who added that in order to ensure this happened, they were forced to build a protected area, so the sea could be repopulated.
Without any reservations, Kristos described Jamaica three years ago as an island that had literally fished itself out of what could have been a thriving fishing industry.
"We had earned the reputation of being the 'most fished country in the Caribbean'," he said, placing 25 years of environmental preservation behind his comments.
Obviously, not comfortable with the same label as the rest of the country, Bluefields Bay is now a marquee example and before long, may offer snorkelling to visitors to the area.
Today, not only is there an increase in the catch by fishers, but the bird population that stays close to fishes has also returned, and the corals are much healthier than years ago.
"Dolphins and other marine life have returned to our area, including the coral life because of the number of fishes that graze," said Kristos.
According to him, the fishes remove the algae from the coral, resulting in a healthier species.
The area is protected by wardens and the marine police, who ensure that the 300 people on record, along with another 50 who are not listed, and their families, have access to seafood to supply the hundreds of fishmongers who service other parts of the island.
"Even the colour of the water is a much prettier turquoise, and the dynamiting of the fish population has been reduced considerably," said warden captain, Emsley Graham.
Graham, who works on a shift system on the ocean, is part of a 24-hour patrol team whose job it is to ensure there is no fishing in the sanctuary.
"In fact, there is no need to fish in the sanctuary because once the school of fishes grow, they make their way outside the area so that those who fish in the area can access them," he stated. janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com
All rights reserved by
Comment