‘We get hit on land and we get hit at sea’
Published:Monday | July 8, 2024 | 12:07 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
Hundreds of fisherfolk from Alligator Pond in Manchester and Treasure Beach in St Elizabeth are confronting unprecedented hardships, with millions in damage to their livelihoods and homes.
Last week’s onslaught by Hurricane Beryl came with little time for them to retrieve their fish pots from the sea, resulting in catastrophic losses.
A dejected Gideon Kinglock was pondering the road ahead when The Gleaner caught up with him last week.
“The whole of the sea mash up, and that’s where we get our living from,” he said.
“We [are] on pause right now because we lost 60 fish pots. What the wave don’t carry away, the sea destroyed them,” he added.
Kinglock estimated his losses at $500,000.
“The hurricane come up on us so sudden that we didn’t have time to go out to sea and bring in the pot dem. We didn’t want to take the chance after dem say we should not go out there,” he said.
Hubert Townsend, another fisherman, is grappling with the destruction of 70 traps and significant damage to his home.
“I need help now. I have to get back some fish pot to start again. I don’t have anyone to help, so I am depending on [the National] Fisheries [Authority] to help us so we can get back on track. It’s hard when you have roof to put back and all that,” he told The Gleaner.
Omar Banton ventured out on Friday to search for his 100 traps but could only recover 10.
“Everything got rooted up, some mashed up and washed away by the giant waves. I was fortunate to recover 10, but the rest are nowhere to be seen. Right now, I don’t know where to turn for help,” he lamented.
Austin Brown’s situation mirrors that of his fellow fishermen. He lost all his pots and the roof of his house.
“All a we on we face right now, have the children, house top blow off, we really need help. We get hit on land and we get hit at sea. It will be hard to recover without getting help,” he said.
According to him, the impact will be felt in the coming weeks when householders will not be able to get fish fresh from the sea to purchase.
With the average cost of building a fishing trap ranging from $15,000 to $20,000, the collective losses for these fishermen run into millions.