White River Fish Sanctuary increases fish population by 55 per cent

Since its inception five years ago, the White River Fish Sanctuary (WRFS) has increased the fish biomass in its operational area by 55 per cent, reversing a trend that had seen a constant decline in fish population over several decades.

The increase in biomass means there are more fish available and their general weight has increased.

There has also been a 28 per cent increase in coral coverage resulting from the work of the sanctuary.

These were the highlights as the WRFS celebrated its fifth anniversary as an organisation on Wednesday, even though preparatory work had begun over two years prior to the formalisation of the group.

The event, held at the sanctuary grounds in White River on the St Ann/St Mary border, had as guest speaker Christopher Corbin, coordinator of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Secretariat for the Cartagena Convention and Caribbean Environment Programme, who said the occasion was indeed a time to celebrate, citing its five years of work as a landmark achievement.

Corbin said that marine degradation has impacted marine life significantly over time and that fish catch has been getting smaller over the years as one of the results of this.

“Jamaica has some of the most overfished waters on the planet, with fish stocks that have declined drastically,” Corbin stated.

“Many of us see that as the fish we now catch seem to be getting smaller and smaller. The total catch has decreased from over 600 per cent since 1950. It would take fishers seven times the effort and seven times the cost to catch the same amount of fish as before,” he added.

That observation makes the effort by sanctuary manager Reanne McKenzie and her team which includes wardens and marine police, among others, even more significant.

The support of the fishermen and the wider community also aided the efforts of the sanctuary, which is being funded in part by Jamaica Inn Foundation, Couples Resorts, Hermosa Cove and Sandals Resort.

“We’re celebrating all our efforts, our successes, the dedication of the fishermen and the wider community, and everything that we have achieved so far,” McKenzie told The Gleaner.

He said that, apart from increasing the fish biomass by 55 per cent, the fish size within the sanctuary has also increased. The sanctuary has also trained community members and got them scuba certified, and wardens have been trained with the marine police.

McKenzie said the WRFS is also trying to work with communities that are further up the White River in order to have more community involvement and more persons being educated about the environment and its importance.

Belinda Morrow, from Jamaica Inn, in outlining the next steps for the WRFS, said funding was needed to continue the work. She explained that education and outreach were huge parts of the way forward.

Remarks and greetings came from representatives of the Tourism Enhancement Fund, National Fisheries Authority, Hills to Ocean Project, the Planning Institute of Jamaica and the White River Fishermen’s Association.