Officials: Leave young fish alone
Too many juvenile fish are being caught and killed, which could have disastrous consequences in the long run.
Data collector with the Barbados Fisheries Division, Raliyah Green, made that revelation recently at the Berinda Cox Fish Market, Oistins, Christ Church, during a tour of the facility by students of Frederick Smith Secondary School.
“Most species that you find being caught as juveniles are potfish or reef fish, such as chubbs, and mahi-mahi, or dolphins. I would love for fishermen to throw them back if they are still alive. Because we want the chance for the fish to become adults, it would be better for the fish and the environment if the fish are adults when they are caught,” she said, adding any fish under five pounds were considered juvenile.
However, Green said many times the fish were already dead when hauled in, which complicated matters. She said the best solution was to utilise fish aggregating devices (FADs).
“This is why we have FADs in place where fishermen can catch adult fish, which are located in different areas around the sea surrounding the island, each a couple miles out,” she said, adding that a FAD was a floatation device that moss grows on and attracts fish.
She explained why it was so important to leave young fish alone.
“It’s not good for the ocean because when you overfish a species, that species then has to regrow and start fresh. So, with catching the adults, we still need the juveniles to be able to grow and sustain that species. If you catch the juveniles and leave the adults, then the adults will die out and you will have no juveniles. So, that species will, in the future, die out,” she said.
The data collector said some fishermen were heeding the call but more needed to be done.
The tour was done in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Environment. Veronica Millington of the UNDP Accelerator Lab said the 12 students would tour various aspects of the fishing industry to raise awareness and help maintain the traditions of fishing and its importance to the blue economy.
One of the highlights of the tour was boat captain Keisha Chapman and Millington said some of the youth had no idea women went out to sea to fish.
Chapman said she loved her work and being able to challenge the men who, she added, were supportive.
“For me, it drives me to be one of the few ladies out there challenging the men. I love being out there,” she said.
The captain said she jumped at the chance to teach the students as it was important to nurture them from a young age. She said one of the most important lessons to learn was that the ocean was a serious place.
“Being out on the water is serious business; you have to have proper security measures in place. Hopefully, they have a good experience,” she said.
The group was originally scheduled to take a trip out to sea but choppy waters and a small craft warning forced the organisers to call it off.
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