Fishermen hail tracking technology as game changer

Derek Osbourne, a fisherman from Rocky Point in Clarendon, has been venturing out for more than 40 years and has lost at least two boats to the sea.

Last August, he came close to losing a third when it drifted from its anchor at Pedro Bank.

Luckily, he had installed a tracker system and was able to locate it quickly.

Osbourne’s ability to track the vessel was the result of a partnership between several government agencies, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under its Blue Resilience project, which is funded by the Norwegian Blue Justice Initiative.

The Multi-agency Fisheries Crime Coordinating Mechanism to combat organised crime in the fishing sector is the first of its kind in the Caribbean and was established through a memorandum of understanding signed in 2022.

Jamaica also became a member of the global Blue Justice Community, a secure online platform administered by the UNDP, which facilitates secure communication among governments and analysts at the Norwegian International Blue Justice Tracking Centre.

Importantly, member countries of the Blue Justice Community gain access to regular vessel-tracking services, enhancing their ability to monitor illegal activities at sea. This capability is vital for [improving] the safety of fishermen and the effectiveness of law enforcement efforts.

Osbourne was among the local fishermen who accompanied Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, a UNDP goodwill ambassador, on a tour of Rocky Point on Monday as part of this three-day visit to Jamaica.

SAFER FOR FISHERFOLK

“Being able to track fishing vessels and also communicate in a network so that it’s easier to fight illegal fishing and make it safer for the fishermen and women that are out at sea, it was also very interesting to see,” Prince Haakon told journalists.

But Osbourne, who owns several boats, said the system also makes his work more efficient.

“You plan yuh time better. You are able to see when the boat leaves to come to the mainland, what speed it is going, and then you are able to plan around it,” he said.

He is optimistic that this technology will become widely used in the future.

Dr Gavin Bellamy, CEO of the National Fisheries Authority, who was also on the tour, told The Gleaner that there are approximately 500 trackers in the sector, which are used mainly by industrial fishermen.

Noting that there are approximately 11,000 registered fishermen in Jamaica, he, too, wants to see the use of the trackers expanded to artisanal fishers.

“We need to get at least 5,000 to 6,000 of them deployed in the country so that we can cover our artisanal fishers to make sure that we can keep them safe and that we don’t lose them at sea,” Bellamy said, noting that at least 30 fishermen get lost at sea annually and each search and rescue mission costs between $4 million and $9 million.

SIGNIFICANT IMPACT

“With the trackers and the marine VHF (very-high frequency) radios, we can know where they are, and they can call and ask for help, and the Coast Guard, Marine Police, or the National Fisheries Authority can go and help them. It would be a targeted response, instead of trying to go and look for a needle in a haystack,” he said.

Pleased with the support from the UNDP, he lauded its significant impact.

“It has an impact on fisheries all over Jamaica and not only in Rocky Point because when you reduce the amount of poaching, you are reducing the number of people who are illegally taking stock from us,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Clarendon South Eastern Member of Parliament Pearnel Charles Jr also praised the contribution of UNDP, and shared his desire for it to be expanded.

“It is a wide range of support in terms of equipment, training, a system that allows us to track and be able to identify using satellites. Norway has provided that support, they have provided the financing for that. What we are trying to do is to expand that, we want to be able to move from just the industrial vessels having tracking to the artisanal vessels,” added Charles, who is a former fisheries minister.

“When you have that equipment, you will not only have the identification of poachers, but you’re saving those lives as well,” he said.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com