NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (December 21, 2021) — Fifty-five fishers on Nevis were presented with hand-held Global Positioning Devices (GPS) on December 20, 2021, by the Ministry of Marine Resources through the Department of Marine Resources on Nevis.

The handing over was held at the main pavilion at the Elquemedo T. Willett Park in Charlestown. Mr. Huey Sargeant, Permanent Secretary while delivering remarks on behalf of Hon. Alexis Jeffers, Minister of Marine Recourses, said the key reason for the distribution was safety at sea.

He acknowledged that fishing could be a very dangerous activity, and the use of technology to improve fishers’ safety was an important investment in fishers by the government.

The devices Garmin GPSMAP 78 is valued just over EC$600.00 each, bringing the total value of those distributed so far to $33,000.00.

In addition to navigation, the devices are also outfitted with a ‘Home’ feature, which can direct fishers to their home port in the event they are lost at sea; a ‘Man Overboard’ feature which marks the point at which the event occurs, as well as plotting points for fish traps and Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs).

Following the distribution, a short training session on the use of the device was done by Captain Frankie Tyson, owner of SKN Executive Travel (Apple Syder). He also offered to assist any fisher who needed assistance.

The donation was funded by the federal government through the Department of Marine Resources. Priority was given to fishers who did not have a GPS device on their vessel.