Friday, June 19, 2009

Good movie showing Caribbean fishery problems

This movie was done in Jamaica about their fishery, but it is almost word for word what has happened here in Antigua. It's interesting that while Japan is pumping in millions of dollars into Antigua's "fisheries" not any of that money is actually going towards helping sustain the fishery. After reading comments from anonymous on the the blog from a few days ago (click here) you would think that more was being done to help our fishery. IMG_0389sm
I notice that gill nets were not featured in the movie about Jamaica which means that their fishery probably isn't as bad as ours here in Antigua. Gill nets used all around Antigua and Barbuda are the single biggest problem with our fishery. north-beach
The local small scale commercial fishermen of Jolly Harbour area set nets every day in the inshore breeding areas including mangrove inlets and other shallow areas.
idiotic fisheries policy
Almost all reefs, bays and coves are netted heavily here as well and almost all of the fish consumed at the hotels has been imported. Conch and lobster caught here are exported usually under the radar to the French islands and most of the off shore waters are heavily fished by fishermen from Guadeloupe. Anyway, the movie is an excellent insight into the usual Government lack of understanding and lack of controls with regard to fishing. Have a look:

2 comments:

roddster said...

excellent project. Doesn't just show the problem but points to a solution as well. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) They are crucial for our future. The environment division is trying to set one up in Cades bay, lets hope they make it. After that we need some fishery patrols and park rangers. We dont have to end up with the worst case result.

Unknown said...

Great film. Now if the government would just open its eyes to the problem we might get somewhere. Respect to the guys in Belize for what they've achieved there.