Chief Fisheries Officer Dr Shelly-Ann Cox says Barbados’ fishing industry is showing strong signs of recovery in the wake of Hurricane Beryl, with nearly 80 vessels already repaired and relaunched.
She also said a major push was underway to strengthen climate resilience in the sector.
Speaking after the launch of a Disaster Resilient Boat Building seminar at UN House yesterday, Cox said while the storm had dealt a heavy blow, a coordinated effort by the Fisheries Division, Government and private partners had enabled fisherfolk to get back on the water faster than anticipated.
“Since Beryl, we’ve been working assiduously on the recovery response and we have, in terms of the success, 79 boats that were repaired and relaunched in the water. In the last six weeks, though, our emphasis has been on hurricane preparedness and some of those boats that were actively fishing have now come up to shore to do minor repairs and get themselves ready for the start of the season in November,” she said.
Cox explained that Government’s vessel repair rebate programme played a key role in accelerating the process adding that the private sector also made “significant contributions” by providing supplies and support for relaunching vessels.
The fisheries chief stressed that recovery efforts were not limited to physical repairs. The seminar, co-hosted with Japanese experts, focused on building more disasterresilient boats, a priority for Barbados as climate change intensified the threat of stronger storms.
“We’re hoping today to learn from Japan in terms of how they build out their disaster resilient boats but we already have some ideas as it relates to hull integrity, superstructure integrity and the electronic systems we need to have on board,” Cox explained.
The Division also rolled out new surveying and inspection methods under its sustainable fisheries management laws and continued to insist upon vessel monitoring systems and the use of Starlink technology to provide fishermen with realtime oceanic data for safer operations.
One of the biggest lessons from Hurricane Beryl, Cox said, was the financial vulnerability of fisherfolk whose boats were not insured. She confirmed that the Division had started talks with the General Insurance Association of Barbados (GIAB) to craft a tailor-made scheme for the sector.
Develop framework
“Mandatory third-party liability insurance is what is in the legislation but we know that comprehensive insurance schemes are encouraged. This scheme
must also include wreck removal, which was a significant cost to the Government after Beryl in terms of removing all those boats that were partially submerged and sunk totally,” she noted.
A working group with boat owners, GIAB and a marine underwriter is being established to develop the framework. Cox stressed that outreach and communication would be critical to get fisherfolk to embrace the importance of being insured.
Before Hurricane Beryl struck, Barbados had 312 active vessels and according to Cox, the current figure is 260. She cautioned that many fishermen were voluntarily pausing operations during the height of the hurricane season.
“So right now we do have the sports fishers playing an important role. In the last two weeks you would have seen landing of a lot of snapper and we know that this is a fish that the public loves. The price, of course, varies between $12 and $15 a pound but snapper has been quite popular,” she said.
While flying fish and dolphin fish catches are down during this period, longliners continue to operate, keeping supply steady she said.
“We are more than halfway there though, if I was to give you an estimate of that recovery status,” Cox added.
Cox also spoke of the importance of engaging young people in the blue economy noting traditional boat building and fishing were not always appealing to youth. However, she said, new approaches were being taken.
“In our outreach activities to young people, a lot of them are not in favour of hard work in shipwright and boat-building environments. What we’ve been trying to do is really talk about the importance, the culture and the economic benefit,” she said.
She noted that highlighting potential earnings, showcasing the advanced technology used on boats and pointing to young role models in the industry were all part of the strategy.
“It’s really about showing that the blue economy has important careers, not necessarily traditional ones but impactful ones that can support the country and the economy,” Cox explained. (CLM)
