Sustainable Development in the Caribbean: Oracabessa Bay fishing Sanctuary, St. Mary

Oraccabessa Bay Fishing Sanctuary, accross from the Santa Maria Island

http://www.oracabessafishsanctuary.org/

A marine "green thumb"

A significant effort has been made by the Oracabessa foundation with the aid of the GoldenEye Hotel and resort, and Dr. Andrew Ross in affiliation with the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Program, to instruct and train fishermen in proper diving techniques and also to share methods and means of coral gardening. This technique involves tying individual pieces of staghorn coral along a string, within cool enough waters of ambient depth (about 20m) such that they are close enough in proximity to facilitate fertilization and then they are re-planted. Individual are now receiving special training toward aiding this effort and funds are being channeled into establishing a diving shop to store scuba gear, teach proper diving techniques and instruct aspiring coral gardners. These gardners need not possess any prior academic requirements as long as they are physically capable of undertaking the task. Mangroves are also being planted in order to restore the integrity of the surrounding coastlines.

Feasibility|| Socio-ecological adaptive Management (Holling, 1970)

Jamaica has one of the highest fish consumption in the Americas, importing about 79% of it's fish stock in 2014. Consuming over 30 kg per capita annually, many of our local fish stock has been impacted by overfishing among climatic and environmental factors. The fisheries industry involves the coordinated efforts of over 40000 fisherfolk who indirectly sustain over 200000 lives by way of employment, many of which are women who maintain strong positions in these communities, often owning boats and operating means which enable the men to fish on a daily basis. Women play a major role in the investment sector. Among the daily challenges they battle high fuel costs, expensive specialized equipment, and external competition. In the case of the sanctuary this equates to fishers without a permit seeking to benefit from catching within the boundaries of the sanctuary, and sometimes fishing in off seasons as well. Steps have been initiated to meet not only the demand of the market but to plug the gaping hole in our ecological understanding of our enactment during or time here on this planet.
Among many problems, we face the loss of coastal lines at a rate of 2.9mm per year! As a result the government has provided a stimulus in the form of aiding the organization of a few marine protected areas. It is the hope of the government that these areas will provide a much needed stimulus in the areas of tourism as well as much needed support for small businesses. The sanctuaries work by protecting the fish eggs fertilized within the sanctuary area. The areas surrounding the sanctuaries are also expected to benefit from the "spillover effect" where highly populated areas are left behind by mature stock which are then picked up in increasing numbers by the fisherfolk outside the sanctuary.

The community also engages in seasonal interpersonal engagements such as an annual Marlin tournament and an annual beach clean up in order to strengthen community awareness and to form invaluable bonds and initiatives.

The sanctuary also aims to resuscitate scuba diving and coral and fish site seeing among the tourism sector as a means of regenerating much needed foreign income.

Sustainable Development in the Caribbean

The Oracabessa Bay Fishing Sanctuary

Sunday, April 22, 2018

Oracabessa Bay fishing Sanctuary, St. Mary

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Pages

Oracabessa Bay Fishing Sanctuary|| Turtles

Coastal cleanup

Community Interactions

Conclusion

Coastal Cleanup