NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (May 12, 2021) — Mr. Lemuel Pemberton, Deputy Director of the Department of Marine Resources is describing a Fish Trap Making Workshop hosted by the Department of Gender Affairs in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) as a good initiative which augurs well for the island’s fishing industry.

Mr. Pemberton, who was attending the workshop on May 08, 2021 at the Jessups playing field, said the skill is an integral part of the local fishing industry. The workshop is a collaborative effort with the Jessups, Cotton Ground, Barnes Ghaut (JCB) Fisherfolk Association and the department.

“It’s a good initiative by the fishers because, as I say, they are getting older, and the youngsters are not entering the industry as fast as they would like them to…

“The fish trap making industry and the fishing industry as a whole is just a reminder to persons that fishing is not just marine-based. It is also land-based so you don’t really have to go out to sea and be setting traps or doing any fishing to be a fisher. You can do it from land. You can be a wholesaler. You can be somebody who is vending conch or selling fish, cleaning fish, all of those are persons involved in the industry,” he said.

Mr. Pemberton explained that Jessups, Cotton Ground and Barnes Ghaut are traditional fishing communities which have always been active especially in the Jessups area.

He said he is heartened by the involvement of the association in the workshop and the interest the training session has generated among boys and young men throughout Nevis, and his department is pleased to be a part of the initiative.