Sheena Gayle, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Minister of Agriculture Dr Christopher Tufton is warning that harsh penalties are coming for fisherfolk who continue illegal practices that deplete the fish population and threaten the sustainability of the sector.

"If you can't go to sea with an inch and a half or two inches in fish net size, then we are going to have a problem because the law will restrict the net size," Tufton said yesterday, during a public forum at The Meeting Place in Montego Bay, St James. Larger nets allow smaller, younger fish to escape. The forum was held to sensitise fishermen on the draft National Fisheries Policy.

The proposed stringent action is not slated to take effect until next year, following the completion of the policy.

Preservation of sector

The National Fisheries Policy will provide the framework for the formulation of strategies designed to address the challenges, and oppor-tunities facing the industry, including food security, poverty alleviation and trade globalisation.

The sector, which provides a source of income for some 200,000 Jamaicans and contributes signifi-cantly to economic growth, has to be preserved for the future generation of fishers, the minister argued.

"We have looked at countries where they have fish sanctuaries, restrict the size of fish nets and restrict the speargun fishing," stated Tufton. "Where those restrictions are in place, within two to three years, the fish stock comes back and, once we start to follow the rules, I guarantee you will have bigger and better catches."

Meanwhile, executive director of the Northern Jamaica Conservation Association, Wendy Lee, implored the minister to move with urgency in implementing the restrictions on fish-mesh sizes.

This, she said, if not done soon, would "kill off the fish stock" in the fisheries sector. Lee noted that while the stakeholders are concerned about the economic benefits of the sector, priority should also be given to the conservation of fishing habitats.