Poor catches, COVID crunch sinking Pagee Beach fishermen
Published:Saturday | February 6, 2021 | 1:16 AMGareth Davis Sr/Gleaner Writer
Pagee Beach, St Mary:
Fishermen at Pagee Beach in St Mary, who once enjoyed large catches, are now struggling to earn a living as overfishing has drastically reduced earnings from the once-viable vocation.
In addition to a struggle to find any fish at all, their plight is compounded by the reduction in the sizes of the fish caught daily.
Delano McKenzie told The Gleaner that this was a worrying trend.
A fisherman for more than a decade, McKenzie said that the fish catch has been poor in recent times, and the COVID-19 pandemic has also been affecting the trade.
“It really rough ‘cause even di size a di lobster and fish dem get smaller now. Sometime we fish from point to point and wi still nuh catch nothing. Going out to sea, wi haffi buy four or five gallon a gas and wi nuh must catch nothing,” said McKenzie, adding that some fishermen have been racking up debt in the hope of a better catch next time out.
“Sometimes yuh haffi have a extra money fi buy gas and go back di other day, and if yuh nuh have no money, yuh affi go look it fi borrow from somebody,” he told The Gleaner. “Worse di COVID deh yah and it extra tight, so on normal days, a just normal hand-to-mouth ting .”
He said that the fishermen also get frequent checks from the Coast Guard while at sea with the officers demanding to see not only their fisherman’s licences, but also to insist that they observe the protocols, including wearing of face masks and the need to have hand sanitisers on board.
Like farmers, fishermen have been exempted under the islandwide nightly curfew implemented to restrict movement and limit gatherings as the island battles the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is a challenge feeding my family,” he admitted. “And with the online Internet thing (schooling), I have to ensure dat my daughter get good teaching online. Nuh money no deh now, and even if yuh have a successful catch, it take a longer time fi yuh sell di fish as di people dem nuh have no money.”
He added: “Before COVID, things were easier and mi can’t wait fi all a dis done.”
It was a similar tale from other fishermen at the beach.
Denrick Parchment, Kenneth Pink, and a man who gave his name only as ‘Pampy’ expressed similar sentiments. They all agreed that before the onset of COVID-19 last March, the conditions were a lot better.
They were also quick to point out that too many persons were now taking up fishing, which could seriously affect the industry and their livelihoods.