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REPORT
OF
A PRE -FEASIBILITY STUDY
BY
W. C. MACKENZIE Department of Fisheries of Canada
and
W. R. MARTIN Fisheries Research Board of Canada
OTTAWA
1967
LIBRARY f\S\\El\\£.S i\ND OCEANS lU\lLiO t'HEQ0E . , PECHES ET OCEANS. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
1. A central port should be constructed on the south coast of
Jamaica, probably in the neighborhood of Kingston, to serve as a base for an expanded fleet of distant-water fishing vessels. It should include a) a pier capable of acconunodating a projected fleet of 100 or more vessels (up to 100 ft. in length), landing ultimately as much as 50,000,000 lb. of raw fish annually, b) an ice-making plant and warehouse refrigerated at -20°c, c) space adjacent for additional pro cessing facilities(e.g.curing and/or canning plants)and d) facilities
(workshops, gear and fuel depots, etc.) for repair and maintenance services.
It is reconunended that a feasibility study be carried out to determine a) the optimal location of such a complex within the territory specified, b) the type and capacity of the structures required to meet the objectives (as outlined in the Report) of this part of the development program and c) the construction and other costs involved.
It is further reconunended that the feasibility study be undertaken by a team of Canadian Government engineers experienced in assessment of the problems to be met with in harbour development and in the design and costing of the types of structure described.
2. It is recommended that provision of facilities for icing, cold storage and the like at other coastal points be deferred pending further investigation of the requirements and implications. 2.
3. It is strongly recommended that the program of the Govern- ment of Jamaica for the training of officers and other personnel to man the distant-water fishing fleet be expanded as rapidly as possible.
It is further recommended, as a first step in this direction, that an official or officials of the Jamaican administration be enabled at an early date to inspect the training facilities offered by the College of Fisheries at St. John's and similar institutions in the Canadian
Atlantic provinces,
4. It is reconnnended that an experienced official of one of the governmental loaning agencies (N.S. Fishermen's Loan Board, etc.) in the Atlantic provinces be assigned to visit Jamaica to study the credit needs, creditworthiness and related aspects of offshore fishing enterprises and to advise the Agricultural Credit Board on the develop ment of an appropriate program of assistance for this expanding segment of the fishing industry.
5. The purchase of second-hand craft from neighbouring areas of the United States seems to be the soundest method of expanding the offshore fleet in Jamaica for the present. Construction of vessels in
Canada for this purpose, therefore, is not recommended.
6. The Government of Jamaica has been advised on the establish- ment of a fish cannery in the island by another consultant. The pro
ject, therefore, is not connnented on specifically in this report. 3.
7. The distribution of fishery products in Jamaica appears to present no problem at present. It is recommended, therefore, that consideration of measures to re-organize the trade and provide related infra-structure be deferred for the time being.
8. It is recommended that the staff of the fishery administration be raised in status and clothed with greater authority in fields such as resource management and product inspection. The recruitment of additional scientific and technical officers, a) to manage the government-owned fleet, b) to facilitate and coordinate research in fishery resources by outside (university and other institutional) workers and c) to develop statistical services and the like, is also
strongly recommended. NOTE
ON FINANCING FEASIBILITY STUDIES
If, as reconnnended, officers of the federal Departments of
Public Works and Fisheries are assigned to the study of the proposed
fishing port and complex, their salaries would be paid by their respective departments, presumably, and the only additional costs would be for their travel and for services (secretarial, drafting and
so on) utilized while in Jamaica. The study probably would take two
to three months, perhaps longer. It is estimated that, if a private
firm of consultants were employed, the cost would be in the order of
$50,000.
Similarly, if an employee of a provincial government were
to undertake the study of credit needs and related questions, the
cost would amount to his salary plus travel and other expenses while
on assignment. In this case, the salary might be recoverable from
the External Aid administration -- as also in the case of federal
employees, of course, if there were any point in it.
A mission to Canada by an official of the Jamaican Govern
ment, as recommended with reference to assistance for the training
of fishermen, probably would be financed by that Government. THE DEVELOPMENT OF FISHERIES IN JAMAICA REPORT OF A PRE-FEASIBILITY STUDY
INTRODUCTION
In a submission from the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Jamaica, dated the 5th January, 1966, the Government of Canada was asked to sponsor a comprehensive study of the feasibility of implementing a program for development of the island's fishing industry prepared by the Ministry in collaboration with other agencies of the Jamaican Govern- ment. It was suggested that the study be undertaken in two stages, i.e. a "pre-feasibility" study would first be made and, depending on the outcome, this would be followed by the feasibility study proper. The writers were assigned to carry out the first of these stages of the study and the present is a report on our findings.
The purpose of our phase of the study, as outlined in the sub- mission mentioned, was "a) to make preliminary investigations (i.e. with reference to the draft program), b) to formulate, in collaboration with
Jamaican officials, specific terms of reference for the feasibility study, c) to reconnnend the best means for carrying out the study (whether by
Government officials, by private consultants or a combination of the two), and d) to make cost estimates of the entire feasibility study".
For this purpose we spent two weeks in Jamaica, from the 7th to the 15th February, 1967. During that time we interviewed the officials, industrialists and others listed in an Appendix to this report. Prior to visiting Jamaica we stopped at the headquarters of 2. the FAO/UNSF Caribbean Regional Fisheries Development Project in Barbados for a discussion with officials there of the general setting of fishery- development problems in the region. At the request of the Jamaican
Government, one of the writers, on his return, met with officials of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Washington,
D.C., in order to brief them on our views concerning the proposed pro- gram and related matters.
Our opportunities for an examination "in depth" of the fishing industry and fish trade in Jamaica were naturally limited -- our observations were restricted largely to the vicinity of Kingston and
Old Harbour. The time at our disposal being short, we decided to concentrate on the collection of relevant information, the most important sources of which are to be found among government, business and university circles in the capital. In this we feel that we were reasonably successful: we were accorded the fullest possible cooperation by all whom we contacted in Jamaica and the exchange of views, without exception, was unreserved.
If the report falls short of what might be expected from an exercise of this kind, the fault is ours.
The program to be investigated was divided into six inter-related parts, as follows:
1. The provision of an infra-structure appropriate to a
modern fishing industry, including --
a) a fishing pier in Kingston harbour, with
associated processing, cold-storage and
distribution facilities1 ,
1 The facilities also would include sea-food restaurants, in line with the development of the Kingston waterfront for touristic purposes. 3.
b) icing and storage facilities at other fishing
ports, and
c) storage depots at strategic points throughout
the island to serve the needs of the wholesale
trade (vide 6, below).
2. The acceleration and expansion of the existing scheme for
training fishermen in the use of modern fishing craft,
gear and methods -- and the provision in the Fisheries
Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands of the
staff, equipment and technical assistance for this purpose.
3. The institution of a plan for the provision of long-term
and short-term credit on favourable terms, i.e. at low
interest rates, for fishermen.
4. The acquisition of a number of modern fishing vessels2
from Canada, to be made available under long-term credit
arrangements to fishermen who qualify under the training
scheme.
5. The establishment of a fish cannery, to process landings
(of tuna, particularly) from foreign vessels based on
Jamaica as well as those of the domestic fleet3.
2 craft of 40-70 ft. in length and capable of operating at distances up to 500 miles offshore were specified.
3 The intention would be to develop an export-oriented industry. 4.
6. The establishment of an island-wide system for the
wholesale distribution of fish products, including a
fleet of refrigerated trucks and suitable holding
facilities (cf. le, above).
A study of the feasibility of this program would be expected to provide estimates of the cost of the component projects and thus, in the words of the submission, " ... would serve as a basis for making loan applications for various related projects, for seeking technical assistance ... and for interesting private capital to invest in the
Jamaican fishing industry". Specifically, it was indicated that the cannery would be financed from private sources and that an attempt would be made to interest private investors in providing part or all of the infra-structure also. It was conceded, however, that some part of the latter might have to be provided by government. The facilities for inland wholesale distribution, it was suggested, might be provided either by the private trade or by the publicly-owned Agricultural
Marketing Corporation. The other parts of the program come within the usual sphere of governmental responsibility in modern states.
The program as outlined is a flexible one: it is stated in the submission to be subject to modification and the point was emphasized by Jamaican officials in discussion. Our approach has been, as far as possible, to take a fresh look at the situation and try to assess the relevance of the proposed program in the light of what could be learned about a) the natural resources, actual and potential, available to a 5. fishing industry in Jamaica and b) the nature and extent of the market for fishery products in the island and the characteristics of the industry and trade serving that market. In what follows we shall review the evidence on these subjects and then consider the several elements of the development program seriatim. 6.
THE FISHERY RESOURCES OF JAMAICA
Sources of Information
The fishery resources in the waters surrounding Jamaica and in broader areas of the Caribbean Sea were examined by a series of competent investigators during and immediately following the second 4 world war. Their publications in the period 1945 to 1961 describe, among other things, a) the narrow shelf, averaging about a mile wide along the north coast of Jamaica and extending to 20 miles southward of the island, being about 1,100 sq. miles in total area, where bottom fishing could be undertaken by the relatively immobile Jamaican fleet consisting at the time exclusively of unpowered dugout canoes b) the
4 Thompson, E.F., The Fisheries of Jamaica (Bull. No. 18, Development and Welfare in the West Indies), Kingston, 1945.
Thompson, E.F., The Fisheries of Cayman Islands (Bull. No. 22, Development and Welfare in the West Indies), Kingston, 1945.
Anglo-American Caribbean Commission, Guide to Commercial Shark Fishing in the Caribbean Area, Washington, 1945.
Fiedler, R.H., Lobell, M.J. and Lucas, C.R., The Fisheries and Fishery Resources of the Caribbean Area (Leaflet No. 259, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Washington, 1947.
Hickling, C.F., Report on a Visit to Jamaica (Bull. No. 29, Development and Welfare in the West Indies), Kingston, 1949.
Smyth, V.A., The Fisheries and Fishery Resources of the Caribbean Area (Leaflet No. 259, revised, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Washington, 1957.
Salmon, G.C., Report on the Fisheries Industry in the Countries Served by the Caribbean Commission (FAO Report No. 781), Rome, 1958.
Hess, E., "The Fisheries of the Caribbean Sea", in Borgstrom and Heighway, Atlantic Ocean Fisheries, London, 1961. 7. extensive masses of deep and unproductive waters in the Caribbean and 5 c) the small area of the fishing banks to the south of Jamaica. They proposed equipping canoes with outboard motors in order to extend exploitation to the deeper bottom fishes and migratory pelagic species.
The development of sports fishing for tourists and pond culture of freshwater Tilapia were suggested as a means of supplementing the corrnnercial inshore fishery. The hypothetical character of their knowledge about offshore resources, the relatively large investment involved in offshore fishing operations and the lack of technical skills required for these operations forced most of these investigators to be cautious in recorrnnending measures for the development of an offshore fishery. The urgency of the requirements for exploration of potential resources and for precise statistical data was recognized and action toward remedying the situation in this respect was advocated.
During the past decade, additional information on fishery resources within access of fishermen in Jamaica has been accumulating rapidly. About 1960 the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands purchased a modified shrimp-boat, the "Blue Fin" (42 ft. in length and diesel powered), for the exploration of offshore stocks and the training of fishermen in the use of modern equipment and methods. With the help of a master fisherman provided by the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations, this vessel demonstrated the possibility of profitable fishing operations with troll lines and handlines along the southern edge of the Jamaican shelf. Trips of four to seven
5 Actually the largest of these, i.e. Pedro Bank, is almost equal in area to the island of Jamaica itself but extensive parts of it are reported to be "barren". 8. days in length from April to December produced an average daily catch of 535 lb. 6, about half of which was blackfin tuna7.
Exploratory vessels of the Japanese fishing fleet have been longlining for tuna in the southern part of the Caribbean area, as well as in many other regions of the world, and reports on these operations, which are of great significance with respect to the development of a tuna fishery in this region, are available regularly through regional offices of the FAO. Exploratory fishing is also carried on in the
Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea by vessels of the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service. Dr. R. Cummings, the scientist in charge of one of these vessels, the "Oregon", reported orally to us on the results of operations in the latter region during February 1967. Good catches of blackfin, false albacore and dolphin were obtained in surface trolling along the edges of the banks south and southwest of Jamaica and excellent catches of snappers and groupers with handlines in 100-fathom depths along the edge of the broad continental shelf of Central America -- commercial handlining craft from Florida were reported as having made catches of
20,000 - 30,000 lb. (mainly red snapper) in two-week trips to this area.
Dr. Cummings' experience confirms earlier reports of opportunities for an expansion of diversified fishing operations on the grounds off
Honduras and Nicaragua for both bottom and pelagic species, including
6 That is more than 10 times the catch per trip in daily fishing operations inshore.
7 oswald, E.O., "Developing an Offshore Fishery in Jamaica" (in Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Proceedings of the 15th Annual Session), Miami, 1963. red snapper, black grouper and spiny lobster. 8
Records of some 452 species of marine and freshwater fishes in Jamaican been published for the Institute of waters~t-;;.ecentlyr'"/ 9 Jamaica , and an illustrated version with common names is planned. A vast amount of work remains to be done in the fields of resource exploration, research and statistical services. As shown in Table 1, less than 15 p.c. of fish landings in Jamaica have been classified as to species, and even this meagre information is not available on a regular seasonal basis. Excepting what may be established inferentially, there are no data on fishing "effort" and the location of catches.
The difficulties facing the responsible authorities in these fields are extremely formidable and progress may be expected to be slow -- even in the most advanced countries the situation in this respect leaves a good deal to be desired.
For a long time to come, therefore, guidance in the formulation of policy and plans for the development of fisheries in Jamaica must be based on partial information about some of the fundamental factors involved, e.g. the nature and extent of the fish stocks that may be exploited by the Jamaican fishing industry. A number of steps are being taken currently to augment the store of relevant knowledge. With the support of the United Nations Special Fund and the participating govern-
8 Idyll, C.P., "Marine Sport and Commercial Fishery Potentials of British Honduras" (in Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Proceedings of the 14th Annual Session), Miami, 1962. 9 caldwell, D.K., Marine and Freshwater Fishes of Jamaica (Science Series No. 17. BulJ eri n of th0 Institute of Jamaica) , Kingston, 19 66. 10. ments, the FAO has established a Fisheries Development Project for the
Caribbean region (with headquarters in Barbados) and another for Central
America (with headquarters in El Salvador). Two exploratory and training vessels (82 ft. in length) are now in operation: one, the
"Alcyon", based at Kingston, operates in the northern Caribbean and the other, the "Calamar", based at Bridgetown, operates in the south a third vessel (56 ft. in length) is to be added to the fleet. The first-mentioned vessel has begun to provide information on fishing opportunities for countries in the northern part of the region. It is anticipated that much additional knowledge for the present purpose will result from the operations of these vessels during the next year or two and that data on the resources of the western Caribbean will become available in 2-3 years. The work undertaken by the FAO Projects, it is expected, will be supplemented by that of the 65-ft. exploratory training vessel which Canada will provide to Jamaica later this year.
The University of the West Indies is now recruiting staff with competence and interest in fishery research. If these professors and the graduate students working under them can be provided with adequate financial support, and with opportunities to participate in the cruises of exploratory-fishing vessels operating out of ports in Jamaica, the accumulation of the biological and economic information required for a soundly-based development program will be greatly expedited. Annual meetings of the Association of Caribbean Island Marine Laboratories and of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, which bring together scientists interested in the marine resources of the Caribbean, are 11. supported by the countries concerned with the development of the connnercial fisheries in the region and permit timely reporting of the results of the expanding investigations in this field.
A second statistical survey of the fishing industry is to be undertaken by the Government of Jamaica this year. A broader coverage 10 than in the 1962 survey , including the distant-water as well as the small-boat fisheries, and the collection of greater detail (on the breakdown of landings by species, for example) are planned. This is an important project as the information is badly needed for assessment and planning purposes.
Conclusions
A review of the available evidence leads to the following conclusions regarding the natural resources for fisheries development
in Jamaica:
1. Several facts, e.g. a) the limited area of the fishing
grounds within the range of the small-boat (canoe) fleet,
b) the very low yield/effort ratio (about 20 lb. per man
per trip) and c) the small size of the fish landed (as
compared with fish of the same species from offshore
grounds), all indicate that the catch of groundfish from
inshore waters cannot be increased significantly.
lOChuck, L.M., 1962 Sample Survey of the Fishing Industry in Jamaica, Kingston, 1963. 12.
2. Information from the exploratory fishing operations so far
carried out, together with the results of such commercial
fishing operations as have taken place, indicate that
production from the offshore grounds may be increased
substantially. Further exploration is necessary to prove
the feasibility, e.g. of trawling on the Central American
shelf, but, on the basis of existing knowledge, we may
conclude that stocks of fish accessible to a Jamaican
offshore fleet would support an annual production of
at least 50,000,000 lb. (as compared with 10,000,000 lb.
at present). Ways and means of achieving this are
considered below. 13.
THE FISHING INDUSTRY AND THE FISH MARKET IN JAMAICA
The Traditional Fishing Industry
The Jamaican fishing industry may be divided into two segments, viz. a traditional inshore or small-boat fishery and a distant-water fishery the latter having developed quite recently. The traditional fishery is still the dominant factor in production. The craft universally in use is the dugout canoe, many of which are designed
(braced, etc.) for fitting with outboard motors. Canoes vary in size but about 95 p.c. are 15-30 ft. in length and the modal size is approxi mately 20 ft. As usually in the case of traditional fishing craft, they are reported to be well adapted for their purpose. On the average, they are crewed by two or three men and ten to twelve trips per month
(depending on season and location) are made to the fishing grounds -- a trip averaging six hours. Wire-mesh traps (locally called "pots") and a variety of nets and line gear are used. Investment per enter prise is reported to be typically £400 for trap-fishing enterprises
(the commonest kind), £800 for net-fishing enterprises and £325 for
line-fishing enterprises.
Operations are restricted for the most part to the narrow area of the island shelf described in the preceding section on resources - some small-boat fishermen occasionally venture out to the Morant and 11 Pedro banks. The results of these operations in 1962 were as follows
11 Ibid. 14.
13 Gear Number LANDINGS "Quality" "Common" "Trash" Type Boats 12 Total Used Operating Fish Fish Fish
No. '000 lb. '000 lb. '000 lb. '000 lb.
Traps 1, 919 2,695.8 2,809.6 1,900.4 7,405.8
Nets 317 1,230.3 2,244.2 3,210.8 6,685.3
Lines 1,062 2,144.1 868.6 88.0 3,100.7
Traps & lines 454 1,997.8 1,208.7 833.8 4,040.3
Other Combinations 60 281. 0 177. 2 414.7 872.9
Other types 4 22.8 28.0 -- 50.8
8,371.8 7,336.3 6,447.7 22,155.8
Some basic statistics on the traditional fishery and its role in
the Jamaican economy are summarized in Table 2. These indicate that in the
early '60's there were about 7,000 men engaged in the fishery, operating
3,500 fishing craft. Production, i.e. landings, totalled 24,244,000 lb.
(approx. 1,100 m. tons) of fish of all kinds, valued at £1,881,000 (approx.
$5,600,000). The gross annual earnings per fisherman were thus £270,
roughly, or $80014, on the average. There would be exceptions, of course:
many fishermen are reported to do much better than this by aggressive use
of their equipment, for example -- which, however, may involve replacement
of their engine every six months and their boat once a year (engines, i.e.
outboard motors, are valued currently at £150-200 and boats at £200-325).
12Because of changes in practice from month to month thereis some duplication among items in this column. 13 Excluding lobsters, shrimps and turtles, totalling 2,087.9oolb. in 1962. 14 This level of earnings, incidentally, would be typical of fishermen in certain remote areas of eastern and northern Canada. 15.
According to the census of 1960, the median (net) income per annum of males employed in the Jamaican fishing industry was £64.7, as compared with £110.7 for male employees in industry generally
the comparable figures for female workers were £35.7 and £71.l; respective. 1y. 15 A classification of wage earners in Jamaica by income
groups, also based on returns from the census of 1960, sheds additional 16 light on this aspect of the fishermen's position:
Income Distribution of Wage Earners Group Fishing All Industries £ % %
Under 50 39.9 23.0 50 - 99 33.7 24.2 100 - 199 18.2 23.2 200 - 499 3.6 18.5 500 - 999 0.4 5.3 1,000 - 1,999 - 1.8 2,000 and over - 0.5 Not stated 4.2 3.5 100.0 100.0
It is clear from all this that those engaged in the
traditional fishery are a relatively depressed class in Jamaican
society. Although fish prices have been rising, the effect probably
has been nullified to a large extent by an increase in the number of
fishermen. It is well known that there is a general tendency in
fisheries toward the dissipation (through higher production costs,
resulting from the entry of excessive equipment and manpower) of the
gains from rising prices and/or improved technology, and this tendency
would be reinforced by pressures stemming from the high rate of
unemployment that exists in Jamaica (16 p.c. in 1964).
15 Francis, 0.C., The People of Modern Jamaica, Kingston, 1963. 16 Ibid. 16.
The productivity of the fishing enterprise may be enhanced substantially, other things being equal, by mechanization (in this case the installation of outboard motors). The data compiled in the
1962 survey indicate that the annual landings of motorized canoes averaged more than double those of unpowered boats: 15,500 lb. as compared with 6,800 lb. Since that date the proportion of canoes with motor has increased from 20 p.c. to 45-50 p.c. of the fleet. "Other things", however, are not likely to have remained "equal". The rise in the price of fish (85-90 p.c. since 1955 as compared with 35 p.c. for food generally), the movement by small boats farther and farther offshore (involving unusual risks to life and equipment) and the low physical productivity (roughly 3,500 lb. per man per season) support the view that the traditional fishing grounds have been exploited to the limit of their productive capacity -- and perhaps beyond.
This is not to say that the measures taken by the Jamaican authorities, over the past ten years or so, to improve the efficiency of the small-boat fishing enterprises have been ineffective or mis placed. These measures (the provision of motors, at minimum cost and on easy-payment terms, the supply of fuel tax-free, the training of fishermen in the use and service of mechanical equipment and so on) undoubtedly have contributed to ameliorating the position of the men engaged in the traditional fishery. They also have laid a foundation, especially through the acquisition of mechanical skills, for a break through on the part of some fishermen to more highly mechanized operations on distant fishing grounds. 17.
At an appropriate time, however, i.e. when social conditions make it practicable, the measures referred to should be complemented by measures to restrict entry to the inshore fishery in order to raise the productivity, and thus the earnings, ot the individual fishing enterprise and the individual fisherman. That time may be distant -- the critical factor is the rapidity of growth of the
Jamaican economy as a whole. It is doubtful that much further mechanization of traditional operations is feasible. Outboard motors are preferred to the inboard type of engine because of a) their ease of removal for safekeeping, b) their low initial cost fishermen tend to avoid long-term financial obligations -- and c) the necessity of hauling boats ashore at landing points (beaches). A decline in the
supply of cottonwood trees of suitable size for canoe manufacture, however, may bring about a shift to other types of construction - fiberglass, perhaps.
The Market for Fishery Products
Meanwhile it is necessary to consider what might be done to
increase the supply of fresh fish for the market in Jamaica, if possible from domestic sources. In 1962, as we have seen, the traditional
fishery supplied 24,244,000 lb., or 15 lb. per capita. To this must be added an estimated 5,000,000 lb. supplied by the distant-water fishing fleet (to be discussed presently) and 100,000 - 150,000 from sports
fishing and miscellaneous sources, the total being somewhere in the neighborhood of 29,400,000 lb. This raises the per capita supply from domestic sources in 1962 to about 18 lb. At present (1966), according 18. to official estimates, the supply from these sources is as follows: 17 The traditional fishery 30,000,000 lb. 18 The distant-water fishery 10,000,000 lb. 19 Total 40,000,000 lb.
If these estimates are correct, the supply per capita from
the domestic fishing industry has been raised to somewhat more than
20 lb. -- the population in 1966 being in excess of 1,800,000. This
domestic supply is supplemented by imports of fish food products
totalling an additional 40,000,000 lb. (37,800,000 lb. in 1965, the
most recent year for which statistics are available), bringing
the annual consumption (domestic disappearance) of fish in Jamaica
to 40-45 lb. per head on a product-weight basis. Total fish imports,
according to information for 1965, are divided among product groups 20 as follows :
17 An estimate based on a better than 100 p.c. increase in mechanization has been adjusted downward to allow for a decrease in stock abundance.
18 The fleet has doubled in size in the period under review.
19 supply from other sources has been ignored as being negligible relatively.
20 The breakdown is based on official trade statistics. 19.
Product Imports lo
Chilled & frozen fish - All species & forms 1. 6
Cured fish - Codfish, dried-salted 38.5 Mackerel, salted 28.8 Herring, salted & smoked 4.4 Other 2.4
Sub-total 74.1
Canned fish - Sardines 13. 0 Herring (excl. sardines) 7. 1 Other 4.2
Sub-total 24.3
Total 100.0
These imports are valued (1965) at £2.9 million (about $8.8 million) c.i.f., being 14.2 p.c. of the value of all food imports and
2.8 p.c. of the value of imports of all connnodities. Since Jamaica incurs a large deficit in connnodity trade with foreign countries
(£29.4 million in 1965, or 27.7 p.c. of the value of connnodity importsY7 the interest of the Government in developing domestic production to replace imported products and/or for sale abroad is readily understandable.
It will be noted, however, that over 80 p.c. of Jamaica's imports of fish consists of three products, viz. dried-salted codfish, salted (pickled) mackerel and canned sardines -- in that order of importance. The first of these, since it is an essential element in the national dish (Salt Fish and Aki), is considered to be a staple in
21 Central Planning Unit, Ministry of Development & Welfare, Economic Survey of Jamaica, Kingston, 1965. 20.
the Jamaican diet. Its price has been rising steadily as the world
supply has declined since the last world war -- a trend that may be
expected to continue, because the codfish stocks in North Atlantic waters are reaching a stage of maximum utilization and an increasing
proportion of cod landings is being diverted to alternative uses
(filleting and freezing, particularly). As a result the supply of
dried codfish on the Jamaican market is being displaced by that of
other fish products, especially pickled mackerel: between 1962 and
1965, for example, imports of the former product dropped by 28.7 p.c. while those of the latter rose by 145.1 p.c.
The raw material for both products is relatively low-priced
in comparison with species in adequate supply from Caribbean waters
(5 cents per lb. at dockside for cod, for example, as compared with
2/-, i.e. 30 cents, for grouper), and likely to remain so for the
foreseeable future. The same is true of canned "sardines", the bulk
of which is obtained from Canada and thus derives from the abundant
herring stocks of the Canadian Atlantic coast. It is doubtful, therefore,
to say the least, even if a satisfactory substitute for dried codfish
could be produced from indigenous species (which is by no means
unthinkable), that it would be feasible to do so -- the high cost of
raw material, as well as that of mechanical drying in the climatic
conditions of Jamaica, would almost certainly make the process
uneconomic. Similar considerations would apply, but with less force,
perhaps, to a process using raw material obtained from a North-
Atlantic cod fishery based on Jamaica. 21.
A rationale for expansion and development of the Jamaican
fisheries should be sought in another direction. It is not so much
a question of finding substitutes for imported products, although that may be possible to some extent -- in this connection one may point out
that the preferences of consumers for specific fish products are
subject to change, like other tastes. What we are really concerned with is to secure an adequate supply of fish protein, in acceptable
form and at a satisfactory price, for the Jamaican population -- now
growing at a rate of 2.8 p.c. per year and expected to reach 2,600,000
by 1975. Little information is available on consumption patterns in
Jamaica and space does not permit extensive discussion of the subject here. About seven p.c. of the annual per capita expenditure on food
(/50-55 in 1956) is attributed to purchases of fish. Demand elasticities, 22 as to income and price, appear to be slightly less than unity.
The high price level for fresh fish in Jamaica, already
referred to, suggests that the market is under-supplied. The
traditional fishery normally supplies the population within easy access
of the beaches where landings are made -- at these points the fish are
sold directly to consumers and to vendors or peddlers who purchase
small parcels for re-sale throughout the countryside in close proximity
to the coast. As shown in Table 3, the supply from this
fishery is fairly even from month to month except for a peak of some
importance in November. About 80 p.c. of the fleet is more or less
continuously in operation and an average of about 2,000,000 lb. of fish
22 cumper, G.E., The Economy of the West Indies, Kingston, 1960, p. 126 et seg. 22. are landed each month. The data presented in Table 2 indicate that
surpluses are available at a few points, particularly at both ends
of the south coast, and there probably is some movement of supply
from these to less advantaged coastal points and inland. In such
cases, the fish may be iced for preservation in transport but not
otherwise at present.
As stated previously, the traditional fishery -- and pro
duction from the inshore grounds -- is probably incapable of expansion.
In recent years the supply from this source has been supplemented
by landings of fresh fish (of similar species) from a fleet operating
on offshore grounds, i.e. the Pedro, Serrana, Serranilla and Mosquito
banks, stretching from 75 to 500 miles south and southwest of Jamaica.
This fleet currently numbers 19 vessels, all but one of which operate
as carriers. There are some half dozen owners or proprietors and the
enterprises evidently are successful financially. Crews with their
canoes are ferried out to the cays (small islands on the offshore banks)
where they are maintained on rotation and from which they operate as
they would from inshore bases. The carrier vessels conduct a shuttle
service: bringing provisions and other supplies on the outward voyage
and the fishermen's catches on the inward one. They remain on the
grounds about three days, collecting the catch, and, depending on the
distance travelled, may be absent from port for periods up to 10 days.
The holds of these vessels are refrigerated usually and the cargo is
stored in ice. The fish is delivered at Kingston as a rule and sold
there to vendors and to buyers for retail outlets in the city and 23. certain other centres. Some proportion is frozen and stored for
subsequent distribution. A number of self-service shops (supermarkets)
and other retail stores have facilities to handle iced and frozen fish.
A disadvantage of this type of operation is that only those
parts of the banks within the range of motorized canoes, operating from
the cays, are exploited -- in the case of Pedro Bank, for example, it
is estimated that not more than 20 p.c. of the potential stocks are
reached. A logical development of the present operation might be
toward a mother-ship operation, with the canoes or similar small craft
based on the carrier vessel (as in dory fishing on the Northwest
Atlantic grounds). Another possibility is represented by the exceptional
case mentioned in the last paragraph. It is that of a fisherman who had
gained a few months' offshore fishing experience on the Government's
exploratory/training vessel and who then acquired a second-hand 56-ft.
shrimp-boat (from the United States) for an enterprise which so far is
unique in Jamaica. The vessel is based on Whitehouse, near the western
end of the south coast, and 5-day trips are made each week to the western
part of Pedro Bank. Fishing operations, with about 100 traps supplemented
by handlines, are carried on directly from the vessel. The catch is iced
on board and delivered at the home port for distribution by truck to the
resort area around Montego Bay. 24.
THE FISHERY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
1. Infra-structure
a) A Central Fishing Port
The existing facilities, located in Kingston harbour, for the accorrnnodation of a distant-water fishing fleet are hopelessly inadequate. They consist of a wharf or jetty approximately 175 ft. long and 25 ft. wide with 7~ ft. of water at its outer end. There is no unloading equipment and no fuel or water lines are provided. The ice-making plant and cold storage are about 500 ft. distant from the pier. As many as three carrier vessels may be berthed at one time and landings are sold to buyers at dockside. The resulting scene of crowding and confusion, as fish and vessel supplies move (by various forms of conveyance) in opposite directions in so confined a space, may be imagined~
We believe that the establishment of facilities for the efficient handling of landings from an off shore fleet to be
indispensable to the development of a modern fishing industry in
Jamaica. The nucleus of such facilities would be a suitable quay or fish pier. A forecast of requirements as to the size or capacity of the pier (and other port facilities) involves some rather daring guess work. A projection of population growth in Jamaica suggests an annual
increment averaging about 70,000 over the next two or three decades.
This implies an addition to the aggregate demand for fish products approximating 3,500,000 lb. each year. If we assume that about two-thirds of this requirement is to be supplied from domestic sources, and if we 25. ignore the possible effects of income and other social changes (which we cannot measure, anyway), it follows that an additional 40,000,000 lb. of fish will have to be produced by the distant-water fleet annually
by 1985 which is, perhaps, far enough to look ahead. Since each of the present units of the fleet (carrier vessels) lands 500,000 -
600,000 lb. of fish yearly, our calculation indicates that a fleet of about 100 such vessels or their equivalent in production capacity would be needed -- no doubt diversified operations (including hand-lining and trolling as well as fishing with traps) would be necessary to match the diversity of species and operating conditions to be met with in Caribbean waters.
Although it is impossible to guess how the fleet may evolve, or what its actual composition ultimately may be, requirements for berthing space and the like probably would not be affected substantially by variety in the type and size of craft to be accommodated -- since production-capacity requirements would be unchanged thereby. Annual
landings of 50,000,000 lb. (i.e. 10,000,000 + 40,000,000 lb.) mean an average of 135,000 - 140,000 lb. per day. If we postulate a fleet of
100 carriers (or their equivalent in capacity) averaging trips of 10 days at sea and two days in port, an average of 15,000 - 20,000 lb. would be landed per trip. It follows that 7 - 9 of these vessels would
be landing each day and, say, 15 - 20 would be in port at any one time.
Since they would be vessels up to approximately 100 ft. long, something like
2,000 ft. of side-wharfage would be needed to accommodate them. It might be possible to separate the space required for unloading the 26. vessels from that required for servicing them with ice, provisions and ships' gear but the total space requirements would be unaffected.
If the turn-around time could be reduced to one day or less (as, considering the small quantity landed per vessel per trip, might be quite feasible), side-wharfage requirements would be reduced by 50 p.c.
The pier design, with reference to height, deck or surface- area requirements and requirements for materials-handling equipment,
is outside the writer~~competence. It may be said, however, that
fishing craft of the largest size contemplated would require about
20 ft. of water alongside the dock. There must also be sufficient water area adjacent to the dock to provide space for shelter and manoeuvre. Adjacent ground-area requirements are especially difficult
to estimate. Obviously there must be facilities (including water and
power lines, container storage, truck park, etc.) for dressing,
packaging and shipping the fish. If, as time goes on, surpluses are
produced and/or a sizeable demand develops for a continuous supply of
frozen fish, freezing and refrigerated storage facilities will have to
be provided -- frozen fish must be stored at -20°F. At some point, pro cessing (curiRg, canning and reduction) of quantities of certain species may
become feasible and additional space would be required for the plant or plants involved.
Ideally, all these facilities should be closely associated
and, in so far as possible, provision should be made in advance for the
space required. Space also would be required -- desirably, if not
necessarily, in close proximity to the pier and ancillary facilities 27. for a ship-repair yard, including a haul-out or slipway, a machine 23 shop and depots for engine parts, gear and fuel. Twelve acres has
been mentioned as the minimum space requirement for a complex of the
kind described here but we are unable to assess the realism of this
figure. Given the quantity and flow over time of the raw material to
be handled, transformed and moved, the calculation of layout and space
requirements becomes a straightforward problem in engineering.
Besides the requirements just outlined for a fishing port
in Jamaica, the following conditions may be specified:
1. It should be oriented as directly as possible toward
the major fishing grounds.
2. It should be situated as nearly as possible to the
major centres of population, for two reasons,
23 At present there are two slipways in Kingston Harbour: one at Port Royal (capable of handling craft up to 50 tons in size) and another, operated by Belmont Dry Dock Ltd., near the eastern end of the harbour on the north side. The latter can acconnnodate vessels up to 700 tons in size (approx. 160' x 35') with a draught of 15 ft. Shipwright services are available on the spot and metal-work, engine repairs and the servicing of electrical equipment are performed by sub-contractors in the city. The service provided by this yard is alleged to be unsatisfactory in some respects. In addition to these facilities, there are three boat-building yards in Jamaica, specializing principally in the construction of pleasure craft up to 40 ft. in length or thereabouts. The small-boat (canoe) fishery is served, of course, by traditional craftsmen. 28.
a) in order to minimize costs of distribution and
b) in order to assure an adequate supply of labour
and other services (fresh water, electrical power and
so on).
3. It should be located on a harbour providing protection
from winds and surges and requiring a minimum of
adaptation for developmental purposes, i.e. in the
form of dredging, ground levelling, access construction
and the like.
The first of these conditions suggests a location on the south coast of Jamaica, where the most important harbours, from west to east, are Savanna-la-Mar, Black River, Old Harbour Bay, Kingston
Harbour and Port Morant. Of these, the first two are reported to be very shallow and rather exposed and the shoreline at the last-named is quite rugged and steep. Their possibilities should not be disregarded, however. Old Harbour Bay and Kingston Harbour remain to be considered.
A location at these points would be indicated by the second condition in any event, for approximately a third of the population of the island is concentrated within a radius of 20 miles of either place.
The approach to Old Harbour Bay (in Portland Bight) is exposed to winds from the southeast but there is a dredged channel
(300 ft. wide) to the nearby ore-shipping pier at Port Esquivel.
The services of a pilot are compulsory for commercial shipping. The advantages of this location (as compared with Kingston Harbour) would be 29. a) the availability of real estate at relatively low cost and b) the relative ease of access by road for truck transport. The situation as to accessibility to a supply of plant labour, fresh water, power and so on is understood to be satisfactory.
There are a number of possible sites in Kingston Harbour that might serve as bases for the project under consideration. These lie on both sides of the central area of the harbour. The western end of the harbour is exposed to gales from the south and the eastern end, for the greater part, is included in an urban renewal plan (under which the waterfront is to be reconstructed for the development of tourism) - both ends are reported to be rather shoal. Two of the sites are close together on the north side of the harbour. The first is the present wharf and cold storage ("Zero" plant), already referred to. It is located between Newport West (a recently completed complex for the handling of general freight and ocean shipping) and the "Esso" Oil
Refinery. The chief advantage of this location is that a refrigerated warehouse (containing 275,000 cu. ft. of storage space maintained at 0°F) and an ice-making plant are now available there. Serious disadvantages are a) the restricted land area associated with it (said to be about eight acres in all, including that occupied by the structures mentioned) b) the narrow water surface inside the cove formed by the Newport West embankment on the west and the beach along the Refinery property on the east and c) the shallowness of this cove. Disadvantages (a) and (c) might be overcome by dredging and fill but this would add considerably to developmental costs. 30.
A second site, located farther east between the premises of the Jamaica Public Service Co. and Newport East (a companion project to Newport West now under construction), has become available as a result of the re-deployment of harbour works on the Kingston waterfront.
This location, which, it is understood, has been reserved for the use of the Industrial Development Corporation, provides about 14 acres of land area. It is thus free of one of the disadvantages of the preceding location. Like the latter, however, it is threatened by the encroachment of other developmental projects competing for the limited foreshore space in this part of the harbour. Possible further disadvantages of both locations are a) interference from, or with, commercial shipping and pleasure craft in the congested harbour area and b) the difficulty of movement for truck carriers through the dense urban area of Kingston
City and environs.
A third site is that of the abandoned coal port beyond
Gallows Point, just inside the outer end of the Port Royal peninsula the inner length of the peninsula, excepting the area occupied by
Palisadoes Airport, is too narrow for our purposes. At this point is found a sheltered water area with a depth of 30 ft. and more close to shore along a 500 - 600 ft. frontage and there appears to be sufficient level ground area for development as well. So far as is known, fresh water and power supplies do not present a problem. As in the case of the other two Kingston sites examined, however, distribution of products might be subject to certain handicaps as compared with a location at Old Harbour Bay, for example. 31.
The writers were unable to decide among the several possible locations listed. A decision as to which should be selected for development as a fishing port for Jamaica must await an intensive engineering survey (feasibility study). This should include a thorough examination of each site from the viewpoint of the requirements outlined above, including 1) an investigation of relevant topographic, hydro graphic and meteorological details, 2) specification of the adaptational
(dredging and ground levelling) and structural requirements, i.e. for buildings and ocher facilities, and 3) estimates of the costs of adaptation, construction and equipment involved. Pending completion of the feasibility study, and notwithstanding claims for recreational or other uses, the sites mentioned should be reserved as potential locations for the recommended fishing-base/fish-handling complex. The development of any of these places as a modern fishing port would not be incompatible with development of the surrounding district for touristic purposes. On the contrary, with the inclusion of a seafood restaurant, aquaria and the like, the fishery project may be integrated into the general development plan.
As to the conduct of the feasibility study, we recommend that, if possible, it be undertaken by a team of engineers drawn from a) the federal Department of Public Works of Canada and b) the federal
Department of Fisheries. Among the engineering staff of the former
Department are a number of men with experience in the provision of harbour facilities for the fishing industry and in the latter Department there are several experts in matters of plant layout and costing. 32.
In concluding our remarks on this phase of infra-structure, we should like to advert briefly to management of the proposed fishing-
port complex. We envisage an "industrial estate" type of complex, with
the management being responsible for the running of the port and for the
rental or leasing of serviced plant and office space and the sale of services
(freezing, storage, etc.) to fish buyers, processors and merchandizers.
The latter might be private dealers, a number of which are in business
at present, or the Agricultural Marketing Corporation (which is 24 empowered by legislation to deal in fishery products ), but the managing body probably would have to be a crown corporation. We believe
it to be of the greatest importance that such a body be established,
given adequate authority and staffed with officers fully competent in
the field of its responsibility. The present management of the "Zero"
Corporation, for example, if that location should be chosen for develop-
ment -- and if specialists in fleet servicing and the like were added
to it -- might provide a nuclear staff for this purpose.
b) Facilities at Other Ports
As stated at the beginning of this report, the writers did
not have an opportunity to visit fishing ports outside Kingston Harbour
and Old Harbour Bay. According to the information available to us,
there are altogether 164 such "ports", i.e. landing beaches. In the
great majority of cases, the quantity of fish handled is exceedingly
small and practically all of it is disposed of immediately upon landing.
24 Agricultural Marketing Corporation Act, 1963, Sections 2 and 4. 33.
There is no need for preservation in storage, therefore, and, since trips from the fishing grounds to the beach are usually short and fish from tropical (or sub-tropical) waters resist the effect of high temperatures remarkably well, there does not appear to be much need for the use of ice on board traditional fishing craft. It is pretty certain that, unless icing and refrigerated-storage services were useful enough to fishermen to justify their expense, they would not be availed of. It was observed that certain other marketing facilities provided by the Government at the beaches were not being utilized, and, possibly for that reason, not much importance seemed to be attached to this part of the infra-structure by the officials with whom we discussed the development program.
To these generalizations there might be some exceptions. It has been pointed out that surplus production, from the small-boat fishery apparently occurs at the extreme ends of the south coast, especially in the east (St. Thomas Parish) we have not been able to pinpoint the occurrence of surpluses as to location within those areas nor as to seasonality. If it were found that the lack of facilities
for icing and storage at some of these locations resulted in the curtailment of production, and that the actual or potential volume of production would sustain a viable refrigeration service (storage and
ice-supply depot), the establishment of such services would be justified. 25
25 Ice and containers for the holding and transport of fish are supplied by private buyers at a few points, e.g. Whitehouse in Westmoreland Parish. 34.
The question merits further investigation from this viewpoint. The need for improved docking facilities at outlying ports might be
investigated at the same time.
There is a danger, however, that development in this
direction might detract from -- and even militate against -- the long-
term objective of fishery development in Jamaica. This would happen
if provision of facilities of the kind under consideration should
expand into the creation of full-fledged fishing ports capable of
acconnnodating distant-water craft. In our opinion, Jamaica does not
need more than one deep-sea fishing port -- in the foreseeable future,
at least: ultimately subsidiary ports for specialized divisions of
the offshore fleet might be justified somewhere on the western or
northeastern coasts of the island but that is pure speculation. For
the present, the establishment of a central port, probably at one of
the locations described on the south~coast, should be the
primary objective of fishery development and anything that interferes
with the achievement of that objective should be discouraged.
c) Facilities at Inland Points
This part of the infra-structure is considered under item
no. 6, below.
2. The Training of Fishermen
We regard a sound training scheme as a fundamental element in a
fishery-development program for Jamaica, almost equal in importance to
the establishment of an adequate infra-structure. For the efficient 35. operation of an offshore fishing fleet it is absolutely essential that a cadre of skilled officers (skippers, engineers and others) be available to man it. From this base the supply of trained man-power may be increased through a training-on-the-job (apprenticeship) system -- the skills required include a) navigation, b) operation and maintenance of diesel engines and of fish-finding and other electronic equipment, c) fabrication and use of fishing gear and d) handling and preservation of fish on board. In order to establish such a cadre, two lines of action might be followed:
1) A sufficient number of instructors might be
recruited from other countries to initiate an
apprenticeship scheme, which, once established,
would be self sustaining.
2) Jamaicans with the basic educational quali
fications for the kind of training required,
and with experience of and interest in commercial
fishing as a livelihood, might be selected for
training at specialized institutions abroad, e.g.
the College of Fisheries at St. John's, Newfoundland.
No doubt, both avenues should be explored. To expedite this, we recommend that the Director and/or other senior officer of the Fisheries
Division be given an opportunity, at an early date, to inspect the
Fisheries College and other fishery-training institutions in Canada. 36.
We also wish to draw attention to the fact that fishery development in the direction proposed in this report will require the acquisition of still other skills on the part of Jamaicans. At an early stage, for example, skilled labour will be needed for the service and repair of fishing craft, engines and relatively sophisti- cated mechanical and electrical equipment. Somewhat later, perhaps, plant foremen with ability to supervise the processing of fish in various forms will be needed -- and so on. Measures will have to be taken to provide for these requirements as well.
3. Credit for the Primary Fishing Industry
We are concerned here with facilitating the acquisition by trained fishermen (graduates of apprenticeship or other training schemes) of suitable craft and gear for participation in distant-water fishing. Our investigation of this subject was necessarily superficial: we could learn nothing about the profit position of existing offshore fishing enterprises, for example. The Agricultural Credit Board, an agency of the Government of Jamaica, may grant loans to fishing enterprises26 but the Board's officers informed us that very little use has been made of this source of credit by small-boat fishermen -- evidently because of inability to meet security requirements -- and none at all by entrepreneurs in the distant-water segment of the 27 industry.
26 Agricultural Credit Board Law, 1960, Sections 1 and 4.
27 Expansion of the offshore fishery up to the present has been financed by the banks and other private sources of funds. 37.
It would seem that, before considering the institution of another agency (specializing in the extension of credit to the fishing
industry exclusively), the possibility that the facilities of an agency already in being and more broadly based might be adapted to meet the emerging needs of the fishing industry should be fully investigated.
For that reason we recommend that an officer of the Fishery Loan Board of Nova
Scotia (or of one of the other Canadian Atlantic provinces), which has accumulated a great deal of experience in financing modernization of the primary fisheries since its establishment in 1947, be employed as a
consultant, a) to examine in depth the costs-and-earnings position and
the investment and operational credit requirements of distant-water
fishing enterprises and b) to advise on the design of an approp-
riate plan and procedures to meet such requirements. If considered desirable, the consultant might be assisted by an economist (from the
federal Department of Fisheries) familiar with the analysis of fishing enterprise accounts.
4. Expansion of the Off shore Fishing Fleet
The submission from the Government of Jamaica requested
that consideration be given to supplying Jamaican fishermen, qualified
to enter the offshore fishery, with fishing craft built in Canada. We recommend that this should not be done, for the following reasons:
1) The construction and equipment costs of vessels of all
kinds built in Canada are among the highest in the
world, and the supply of craft at such prices to 38.
Jamaica would result in the imposition of excessive
overhead costs on distant-water fishing enterprises
there.
2) Second-hand shrimp-draggers, for example, are avail-
able in Florida and elsewhere at a fraction of the
cost of new vessels built in Canada, and, with minor
adaptations, these apparently are satisfactory for use
in the Jamaican offshore fishery in the innnediate
future.
3) In the long run, it may be desirable to foster the
development of a local fish-boat building industry in
Jamaica. Craftsmen with the requisite skills are
available in the Cayman Islands and the growth of a
domestic off shore fishing fleet may create a sufficiently
attractive market for replacements in the course of the
next decade or so.
5. A Fish Cannery
A pre-feasibility study of this segment of the development 28 program had been carried out and a report submitted , by a consultant from the United States, sometime previous to our visiting Jamaica.
With the agreement of the Jamaican authorities, therefore, we do not
28 Wilson, R.C., Scope of Work: Proposal from the Jamaican Government for a Feasibility Study, Washington, 1966. 39. comment on the project except to recommend, in our discussion of infra-structure, that sufficient space be provided at a central deep-sea fishing port for a cannery and such other processing plant(s) as may become feasible in the future.
6. Fish Distribution: Organization and Facilities
As stated in the introduction to this report, our terms of reference included a proposal for re-organizing the wholesale distri- bution of fishery products in Jamaica. The provision of certain infra-structure (cold-storage warehouses at distribution centres) and a fleet of refrigerated trucks was suggested. Our investigation of the subject, admittedly limited in scope, led to the conclusions, a) that currently the distribution of fishery products in Jamaica does not present a serious problem -- on the contrary, the problem to be solved is the dearth of supply, and b) that the private trade is ready, willing and able, and possesses the financial resources, to provide a satisfactory service for the market during the early stage of development at least. We recommend, therefore, that consideration of this phase of the development program be deferred for the present.
The situation may change if the progress hoped for is made in expanding supply from the offshore fishery. In that eventuality the subject should be re-examined in consultation with the Agricultural
Marketing Corporation, mentioned earlier, which is equipped to provide the necessary services and facilities, and with the Industrial Develop- ment Corporation and the Development Finance Corporation, both of which have power to promote and assist industrial development in Jamaica. 29
29 Industrial Development Corporation Law, 1952, Section 4. Development Finance Corporation Law, 1959, Section 5. 40.
CODA
In conclusion we should like to supplement our comments above on the manning of a modern fishing fleet with some suggestions
on staffing the fishery administration in Jamaica. The present staff are highly competent in their respective fields of responsibility but
they are too few in number and they deserve a higher status in the
government service.
To start with, a basic law (Fishery Act or equivalent) is
required to provide the authority necessary for effective resource management (licensing of fishermen and/or fishing craft, control of
the use of gear and seasonal operations, etc.) -- the existing legis
lation is inadequate for this purpose. 30 The development of a distant water fishery and the consequent processing and storing of fish pro
ducts will introduce problems of quality control (on vessels, in plants
and at wholesale and retail outlets). Appropriate legislation and an
inspection staff, including some technologists trained in the appli
cation of bacteriology and bio-chemistry, will be needed.
Qualified technical staff are urgently needed for the efficient management of Jamaica's exploratory/training vessels. Hitherto the
effectiveness of these vessels' operations has depended completely on
the employment of foreign master fishermen (seconded by FAO). This
is permissible only as a temporary expedient. Native technicians will
have to be recruited and trained to take charge of the two vessels now
30 Wild Life Protection Law, 1944, Sections 8 - 22, incl. 41.
31 in service as well as the new vessel to be provided by Canada and any others that may be added to the fleet later on. Immediate action in this matter is recommended.
Reference was made in an earlier section of this report to the need for more research work in the biology of Jamaican fishery resources and in the technology and economics of their utilization.
The employment of at least one biologist to coordinate research in the off shore resources is recommended. It would be the particular respon- sibility of this officer to direct the exploratory operations of the
Government-owned fleet, to collaborate with the FAO and other investigators in the development of a full-scale resource-intelligence
service for the region and to facilitate the work of university and institute scientists concerned with research in the fishery resources of Jamaica. The employment of a staff economist or economist-statistician, to assist in the development of industry and trade intelligence and to carry out such studies in the economy of the fisheries as may be required for policy-making purposes, is also recommended.
It goes without saying, perhaps, that, in order to recruit staff in the categories described, salaries competitive with those paid to specialists of comparable competence in other government services, in the universities and other institutions and in industry will have to be offered.
31 It is understood that a master and engineer will be provided with the Canadian vessel for a period of one year. Cf) H e'.l H Cf) H ~ H '"d :»-CJ ~ t-t t::I H H :x: 6; t-' t-t t-t:! Cf) TABLE I
Ja.maica: Classification of Inshor~_J,andin@_s1262.
Market Grou12 Landings and Species 9,uantit;x:_ Value lb. £
Quality fish - King Fish 626,000 50,000
Tuna 57,000 5,300 Mackerel 385,000 23,100
Salmon 12,000 500 Dolphi...1 76,ooo 2,600
Wahoo 69,000 5,400 other 7,126,000 288,800
Sub-total
Connnon fish 7,349,000 212,900
Trash fish 6,455,000 84,600
Lobster 1,609,000 47,500
Shrimps 163,000 14,700
Turtles 317,000 3,000
Total 24,244,000 738,400
Source: Chuck, L.M., 1962 Sample Survey of the Fishing Industry in ~amaica, Kingston, 1963. (The data in the 1st column are rounded to the nearest 1000 and those in the 2nd column to the nearest '00). Table 2 ~~-~---~--
,. 11. 12. i. 2. .3. I+ 0 5. 6 • 7. 8. 9. 10. 13.
Labour Force Ports ·Sui;:>,el;y ~r_ict Total ~r -2.9.!.Jni !. in Fisheries (B~hes) ------~---T ~· d lb. & Parish no. /0 no. noo JO no. no. % %
South East Coast -
St. Thomas 68,700 L+o3 229 590 8.4 13 250 7.1 4,868,000 20.1 268,100 14.3 71 Kingston 123,400 12,218) 7.7 1,280 18.3 9 590 16.9 5,901,000 24o3 476,400 25.3 15 St. Andrew 296,000 18.5 1,633) St. Catherine 153,600 9.6 318 770 11.0 4 260 7.4 2,1+48,000 10.l 183,600 9.8 16 Clarendon 163' 900 10.2 350 630 9.0 7 170 4.9 1,281,000 5.3 96,800 5.1 8 Sub-total 805,600 50o3 J,270 46.7 33 1,270 36.3 lli,1+98,000 59.8 1,021~, 900 54.5 18
,uth West Coast -
Manchester 111,700 7.0 329 390 5.6 5 110 1,107,000 4.6 86,900 4.6 10 St. Elizabeth 116,700 7.3 246 640 9.2 9 160 758,000 3.1 5Le,400 2.9 6 Westmoreland 109,600 6.9 342 1,010 14.4 28 610 3,500,000 14.5 277,800 ll~.8 32 Sub-total 338,000 21.2 2,040 29.2 42 880 25o2 5,365,000 22.2 419,100 22.3 16
North West Coast -
Hanover 53 '900 3.4 304 380 5.5 17 290 8.3 853,000 3.5 79,200 15 st. James 83,000 5.2 31~5 210 3.0 11+ 200 5.7 728,000 3.0 73,700 9 Trelmmy 56,100 3o5 159 220 J.l 11 180 5.1 456,ooo 1.9 41,l+OO 9 Sub-total 193,000 12.1 810 11.6 42 19.l 2,037,000 8.4 194,300 10.3 10
North ICast Coast -
St. Ann 104,700 605 238 280 13 260 7o4 934,000 308 87,600 9 Sto Mary 91+,200 5.9 371 270 15 220 6.3 4g6,nno 2.1 55,500 ~.o 5 Portland 6!+,500 4o0 196 330 19 200 5.7 911+,000 3o7 99,600 5.3 14 Sub-total 263 ,LeOO 160'1. 880 12.5 47 680 19.l+ 2,344,000 9.6 2l1.2' 700 12.9 9
Totals 1,600,000 lOOoO 7,000 lOGoO 164 3, 500 100 .o 2l+,2L,4,000 100.0 i,sFn,ooo 100.0 15
Sources: The data in colwrms 1., 3. o.nd 5. are derived directly from Francis, O.Co, '.l'.h~Pe_<:?£J:_~_si.f Hodern '--T.'.3£~~' Kinvston, 1963, and -U100e in columns 6., 7., 9. and i::_. from Chuck, L.M., 1962 S8!f_pJ:.~c)1drV2___£LJ-_b_e Xi~hinp.Jl_~~:y i:t1-1~~}:'.:~c8:, Kin[r,ston, 196Jo The other colllilms contain duta calculated from thee;~ sources. The fi0ure:-; in colunm 9. have been rounded to the ne Jamaica: Seasonal Pattern of Fishing Qperations, 1962/62 Period Craft Landings Ooerating Quantity Value L' Noo lb. L Feb. 5 - JVIar. 4 2,702 1,407,000 109,400 JVIar. 5 - Apr. l 2,819 1,816,000 146,800 Apr. 2 - Apr. 29 2, TIO 1,644,000 126,100 Apr •.30 - JVIay. 27 2,889 1,721,000 139,900 May.28 - Jun. 24 2,878 1,700,000 139,100 Juno25 - Jul. 22 2,856 1,958,000 135,500 Jul.23 - Aug. 19 2,825 1,843,000 135,000 Aug.20 - Sep. 17 2,861 2,200,000 172,200 Sep.18 - Oct. 14 2,853 1,798,000 151,600 Oct.15 - Nov. 11 2,B.32 2,044,000 167,800 Nov.12 - Dec. 9 2,751 2,933,000 209,800 Dec.10 - Jan. 6 2,654 1,745,000 135,600 Jan. 7 - Feb. 3 2,551 1,435,000 112,200 Totals 24,244,000 1,881,000 Source: Chuck, L.M., 1962 Sagrple Survey of the Fishing Industry in Jamaica, Kingston, 1963. (The data in the 2nd column are rounded to the nearest 1000 and those in the 3rd column to the nearest •oo). APPENDIX 2 RECORD OF CONSULTATIONS KINGSTON, JAMAICA, FEB. 7-15, 1967 Office of the High Commissioner for Canada: Mr. R.H. Jay, High Commissioner Mr. D. Campbell, Secretary Government of Jamaica - Ministry of Agriculture & Lands: Mr. R. Cousins, Permanent Secretary Mr. O. Thorburn, Prin. Asst. Secretary Mr. M. Scott, Asst. Secretary Mr. A. Kirton, Director, Fisheries Division Mr. E. Royer, Asst. Director, Fisheries Division Mr. H. Martin ) Mr. S. Kennedy) Staff, Fisheries Division Mr. s. Smith ) Mr. H. Speurling, FAQ Master Fisherman attached to Div. Dr. I. Johnson, Economics & Statistics Division Ministry of Development & Welfare: Mr. F. Holder) Central Planning Unit Mr. G. Hall ) Ministry of Finance: Mr. R. I. Mason) Mr. A. Johnson ) Economic Division Mr. A. Burnett ) Ministry of Trade & Industry: Mr. W. Powell Agricultural Credit Board: Mr. C. Gordon, Chairman Mr. Small Agricultural Marketing Corporation: Mr. S. Bethelmy 2. Industrial Development Corporation: Mr. Cary Mrs. Skinner Office of Town Planner: Mr. Hodges Business and Industry: Mr. R. Bridge, Manager, "Zero" Cold Storage Mr. M.M. Matelon, Chairman, Harbour Development Board Mr. C. Alexander, Manager, Grace Kennedy Co. (importers) Mr. V. Khaleel, proprietor, family firm (fish distributors) Mr. W. Harrison) Mr. B. Hill )operators, offshore-fishing (carrier) vessels Mr. E. Jackson ) Mr. R. Parchmant, operator, offshore-fishing vessel University of the West Indies (Mona Campus): Dr. I. Good body) Dr. J. Munro ) Faculty of Zoology Dr. G.I. Beckford) Economics Faculty Mr. C.Y. Thomas ) Institute of Jamaica: Mr. B. Lewis, Curator "M.V. Oregon" (U.S.B.C.F. Exploratory Fishing Vessel): Dr. R. Cummings, Scientist in Charge 3. Bridgetown, Barbados, Feb. 6, 1967 UNSF/FAO Caribbean Regional Fisheries Development Project: Mr. H.C. Winsor, Manager Mr. J. Dibbs, Marketing Officer Mr. W. Rathjen, Fishery Officer (i/c Exploratory Vessel "Calamar") Mr . E. Oswald, Fishery Officer (i/c Exploratory Vessel "Alcyon") - interviewed in Kingston, Jamaica Bellairs Institute (McGill University): Dr. J. Lewis, Director Washington, D.C., Feb. 23, 1967 International Bank for Reconstruction & Development: Mr. S. Kuriyama ) Mr. G.F. Darnell) Western Hemisphere Dept. Toronto, Jan. 1967 Royal Ontario Museum (University of Toronto): Dr. W.B. Scott, Curator of Ichthyology and Herpetology Ottawa, Jan. 1967 Department of Fisheries of Canada: Mr. C.L. Mi tchell , Economic Services LIBRARY FISHERIES AND OCEANS BlBLlO f llLtl ·j i!: ~i-ms ET octA.Ns " .- :J I ..... '· ...... '_ .., ,. ..-·.,~~ · ~: . : ; ;;;;.;:;:-:::::~; ~ · ·~ ....