NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (July 18, 2024)- Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), the Honorable Eric Evelyn has expressed his gratitude to the Department of Marine Resources in St. Kitts and Nevis and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for a recent donation of biodegradable fish pots to fisher folk on Nevis.

“We have received a lot of assistance from JICA in the past and we are delighted that JICA once again has seen it fit to come on board to be of assistance to us and in particular to the fishermen, and to the fishing industry here on the island of Nevis. I want to commend JICA and commend the Department of Marine Resources,” he stated.

The Deputy Premier said the biodegradable fish pots will be extremely beneficial to the island’s fisher folk, and by extension, to the Nevisian public and Nevis’ marine environs.

“I’m happy that our fishermen are benefiting from this initiative. I understand that we have probably between 35 to 40 fish pots to distribute free of charge. I want to say to the fishermen who will benefit, to utilize what you have efficiently and we trust that this will assist you in some way in getting more profits and at the same time, putting more protein on the plates of Nevisians and residents.

“Using these biodegradable fish pots means the fish would not be lost, and of course, it will all lead to sustainability in our fishing practices here on the island of Nevis.”

Deputy Director in the Department of Marine Resources Mr. Corey Maynard highlighted the importance of the biodegradable fish pots, explaining how they help mitigate against ghost fishing with traditional fish pots.

“Ghost fishing is basically pots that have become lost, abandoned or discarded, and whereby they continue to fish. What happens is that these pots, over time, will deplete the commercial stock and will result in lost profit to our fishers.

“So we are embarking on a mission to reduce this ghost fishing by introducing what we call biodegradable panel, in that this panel over time will disintegrate and the [trapped] fish will now be able to swim in and out of the fish pots.”

Also present at the handing over ceremony were Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Mr. Huey Sargeant, employees of the Department of Marine Resources, and local fisher folk.