35 fishermen receive training on safety at sea | New

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Thirty-five fishermen across Jamaica have benefited from a sea safety training program undertaken by the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) in partnership with the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU).

The program stems from a memorandum of understanding (MOU) established earlier this year between the entities, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, to train local fishermen in navigation and seamanship.

The sessions took place in Montego Bay, where nine fishermen were trained; Black River, 11; and Kingston, where 15 fishermen received training.

At a graduation ceremony held Thursday at the CMU campus on Palisadoes Road in Kingston, attendees received life jackets and communication devices for use at sea.

Minister of State for the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Franklin Witter, congratulated the graduates and stressed the importance of the training in keeping them safe at sea.

He said the fisheries sector was crucial for Jamaica to achieve food security and provide the protein needed to feed Jamaicans.

“While the ministry supports and promotes the continued growth of the fisheries sector, occupational safety and health is also of paramount importance to us,” he said.

NFA Marine Branch Senior Director Stephen Smikle lamented that “too often we receive reports of fishermen losing their lives at sea…sometimes due to mistakes on the part of the [boat] captain and the fishermen on board”.

He said the NFA, as the licensing authority for the fishing industry, intends to eventually reach all boat captains with the training to ensure they have a “level of basic competence” before a license is issued.

For his part, CMU President Andrew Spencer stressed that the training adds “value and credibility” to the fishing industry and helps position CMU as a driver of community development.

“We want to be a university that transforms communities in Jamaica, and one of the best ways to do that is to [uplift] our people in industries that allow them to put bread on the table for their families. Every time a fisherman goes out and doesn’t come back, it’s a loss for a family,” Spencer said.

Under the MoU, a minimum of 35 fishermen are targeted for sea safety training each year over a five-year period, with funding from the Department of Agriculture’s Production Incentive Scheme .

Another memorandum of understanding has been signed with the University of the West Indies (UWI) to provide open water scuba diving training and scuba certification, at the institution’s Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory, from october.

– JIS News

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