Jamaica /// "They poisoned a river to catch fish."
C2C Interview /// Mandeville, Jamaica
Do you have a favorite childhood memory from the ocean?
Yes… I do… this is Alligator Pond in Manchester where I used to visit with my father. He used to sell fish so we would visit the fishing beach and the fishermen so he could ride around on his bike and sell fish to people.
Where there a lot of fish at this time?
Yes. Lots and lots. A wide variety, very huge at the time. We used to have huge fish.
Do you think the amount of fish has gone down?
Significantly in terms of the yield, the sizes, and the variety. It is due to the fishing practices we have adopted over time. Really how we preserve the ocean… which really hasn’t been that good. Just a few years ago, they poisoned a river because it was a quicker way to kill the fish but people were getting sick… I think they are still using these practices.
What do you think people can do to promote social good in Jamaica?
I think, one, as a people we need to understand that these are our resources and we need to take better care of the ocean… so in terms of our fishing practices and waste disposable, these are important things as a people that we need to improve on and we have a treasured resource that many people travel here to experience… so we need to protect this as our own. We are an island so we need to think about the ocean.
