National Fisheries Authority | JAMAICA FISHERIES StatisticS, 3RD QUARTER

Jamaica Fisheries: Quarterly Statistics Report

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NATIONAL

FISHERIES

AUTHORITY

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Short extracts from this publication may be copied or reproduced, for individual use, with permission,

provided the source is fully acknowledged. More extensive reproduction or storage in a retrieval system,

in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, requires

prior permission of the National Fisheries Authority.

Prepared by:

Fisheries Statistics and Data Management Branch,

Fisheries Compliance, Licensing and Statistics Division

National Fisheries Authority

January 2023

NATIONAL FISHERIES AUTHORITY, JAMAICA

2C Newport East

Kingston

Tel: 876-967-2081

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Acknowledgement

The National Fisheries Authority (NFA) takes this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of all

fisheries and aquaculture stakeholders, in particular fishers, fish farmers, vendors and processors that

provided information on all data captured herein which made it possible for the timely compilation of

the report.

The contribution made by all staff members is appreciated. In particular, the Extension Officers and

Data Collection Officers that conducted the data collection, compilation, processing and analyzing

accordingly.

The report was produced by the Fisheries Statistics and Data Management Branch of the Fisheries

Compliance, Licensing and Statistics (FCLS) Division in collaboration with the Capture Fisheries and

Aquaculture Divisions of the NFA.

FCLS Division – Dr Zahra H. Oliphant, PhD. JP (Principal Director), Mrs. Anginette Murray

(Statistician/Data Manager) Mr. Ian Jones (Senior Director, Compliance) and Mr. Lance McDonald

(Licensing & Registration Manager).

Capture Fisheries Division: Mr. Stephen Smikle (Principal Director), Mr. Junior Squire (Fisheries

Management Specialist).

Aquaculture Division: Mrs. Avery Smikle (Principal Director), Mr. Dehaan Brown (Senior Director,

Aquaculture and Research) and Ms. Kerrone Fairclough (Regional Aquaculture Extension Officer)

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Table of Contents 
 
1. INTRODUCTION: FISHERIES SECTOR OF JAMAICA ................................................................................................................. 8 
1.1  Purpose And Scope of the Report ................................................................................................................................................... 9 
1.2  Methodology ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 
1.2.1  Capture Fisheries Sampling Plan .......................................................................................................................................... 9 
1.2.2  Aquaculture sector ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 
2. STATUS REPORT - CAPTURE FISHERIES ................................................................................................................................... 14 
2.1 Fishing Fleet .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 14 
2.2 Employment .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 15 
2.3 Estimated Production and Value ....................................................................................................................................................... 16 
2.4 Factors affecting the industry ............................................................................................................................................................. 18 
3. STATUS REPORT - AQUACULTURE SECTOR ............................................................................................................................ 20 
3.1 Production ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20 
3.2 Employment .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 20 
3.3 Price .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 21 
3.4 Factors affecting the industry ............................................................................................................................................................. 21 
4 COMPLIANCE ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 
4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 23 
4.2 Compliance with Licensing Requirements .................................................................................................................................. 23 
5. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 26 
Appendices ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 28

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LIST OF TABLES 
 
Table 1 Number of vessel licences issued since 1996 ...................................................................................... 14 
Table 2 Number and percentage composition of fisher licence issued April-September 2022 ....................... 16 
Table 3 Marine fish production (MT) trend by fishery type, April-September 2022 ...................................... 17 
Table 4 Estimated value (USD for Marine fish production (MT) by fishery type, April-September 2022…..17 
Table 5 Farm gate and retail price of tilapia .................................................................................................... 21 
Table 6 Fines by Parish Courts for Close Season offences from 2019-2022 ................................................... 23 
Table 7 Number of Individual Fisher Licences issued and Renewal percentage (excluding temporary permits)…24 
 
LIST OF FIGURES 
Figure 1 Overview of the sampling plan for the artisanal fishery of Jamaica .................................................... 10 
Figure 2 The fishery areas of Jamaica ................................................................................................................ 11 
Figure 3 Major marine fish landing sites on mainland, Jamaica ........................................................................ 11 
Figure 4 Regional position of Jamaica including delimited territorial waters and the Jamaica-Colombia Joint 
Regime Area ....................................................................................................................................................... 11 
Figure 5 Number of boat licenses issued by category during April-September 2022 ....................................... 14 
Figure 6 Number of boat licences issued by category and parish, April-September 2022 ................................ 15 
Figure 7 Distribution of vessel size classes renewed by number during April-September 2022 ....................... 15 
Figure 8 Number of Fisher Licences issued by month April-September 2022 .................................................. 16 
Figure 9 Age distribution of licensed fishers ..................................................................................................... 16 
Figure 10 Sex distribution (%) of licensed fishers April-September 2022 ........................................................ 16 
Figure 11 Marine fish production trend by fishery type, April-September 2022 ............................................... 17 
Figure 12 Artisanal fish production trend by Coastal communities, April-September 2022 ............................. 18 
Figure 13 North vs South coast percentage composition ................................................................................... 18 
Figure 14 Artisanal fish production trend by fishery groups April-September 2022 ........................................ 18

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Introduction

Introduction: Fisheries Sector of Jamaica

The National Fisheries Authority – Role and Oversight

Purpose and Scope of the Report

Methodology

A. Capture fisheries sampling plan

B. Aquaculture sector

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1. INTRODUCTION: FISHERIES SECTOR OF JAMAICA

The structure of the fisheries sector of Jamaica is comprised

of Capture Fisheries and Aquaculture. Capture Fisheries

primarily consists of artisanal fishers (over 28,000

registered since 1996) operating from open type canoe or

reinforced fiberglass-type boats, powered by either

outboard motors or oars, over inshore and offshore areas.

The inshore fishery takes place in the coastal waters of the

Island Shelf with its nine proximal banks while the offshore

fishery is limited to the southern coast.

Generally, fishers operate from various landing sites across the island and from two offshore locations – Morant

and Pedro Cays. Industrial fishers (large-scale fishing) have been a significant part of the industry since the

1960s – their target fishery includes conch, lobster and sea cucumber. Commercial sports fishery (such as fishing

tournaments) and small recreational fishery are other important sub-sectors. The production from capture

fisheries in 2021 was 10,093.72 MT, which represented a decline of 15.6% from the previous years.

The importance of aquaculture globally

continues to be highlighted, especially

considering the impact of climate change on the

more traditional capture fisheries. Aquaculture

deals with farming of aquatic organisms,

including fish, molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic

plants in fresh, brackish and saltwater

environments. Jamaica has a rich history in

aquaculture from the introduction of freshwater

tilapia in the 1940s. Today, the aquaculture

industry occurs primarily in freshwater (mainly

tilapia and ornamental fish species), but elements

also occur in brackish (such as coastal fish farms)

and saltwater environments; for example, culture

of mangrove oyster (Crassostrea rhizophorae)

and production of white leg shrimp (Penaeus

vannamei).

Additionally, there are 4 mariculture operations (three private and one government owned), 63 registered

ornamental farmers and 9 Tilapia Hatcheries. In the 1980s, there were approximately 63 fish farmers producing

32.6 MT of fish annually in 58 hectares of pond. In 2006/7 the highest level of production was recorded, where

8,019 MT of fish was produced by 189 farmers from approximately 1,100 hectares of pond. Data from 2021

showed that 104 farmers were utilizing an estimated 274.03 hectares to produce 869.20 MT.

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1.1 The National Fisheries Authority – Role and Oversight

The National Fisheries Authority (NFA) was established as a body corporate, pursuant to Section 5(1) of the

Fisheries Act, 2018, with the mandate being that the Authority will be responsible for the management and

development of fisheries and aquaculture in accordance with the Fisheries Act, 2018. The Authority therefore

facilitates the management and development of Jamaica’s fisheries sector through the collection, compilation,

and analysis of statistics; monitoring, control, surveillance and enforcement of activities related to fisheries and

aquaculture; as well as, granting of licences, authorizations and permits, and allocation of fishing rights and

quotas for specific fisheries.

1.2 Purpose And Scope of the Report

Solid policy design and decision making, which are predicated on hard evidence, are achievable through the

provision and availability of timely, accurate and high-quality data and statistics. This is recognized by

Governments world-wide and as such there is a high level of commitment at the policy level, as is stated in

several sectoral and national development plans, as well as regional and global development agendas.

This publication is the first in a series of publications of Quarterly Reports which will be presented by the

National Fisheries Authority (NFA), as part of its ongoing programme to provide data and statistical

information (production, social and economic) on the performance of the fisheries and aquaculture sector.

The data and statistical information in this report highlights the sector performance for the first two quarters

(April – September 2022) of the current financial year (2022-2023). The publication of this Report is intended

to support sound decision making and policy development for the sustainable growth and development of the

fisheries and aquaculture sector locally and internationally.

1.3 Methodology

1.3.1 Capture Fisheries Sampling Plan

The objective of the present data acquisition system is to collect

basic fisheries data by sampling representative landing sites in

Jamaica. The monitoring system provides accurate data on catches,

effort, catch by fishing ground, the value of catch, length of fish

landed and data on fishing gear.

The strategy for sampling from artisanal fishers is as follows:

1. Jamaica is divided into three statistical areas, the North Coast, South Coast and Offshore Cays (Morant and

Pedro), based on the nature of the fishery.

2. Landing sites are stratified by fishing ground, beach size (according to the number of boats), gears and fish

type. The categories are used as sampling strata and it is assumed that within a stratum, the gears, vessels,

and fishing grounds are homogeneous throughout the area. This means that fishermen at all beaches within

a category have access to fisheries of similar productivity. Once all the beaches were classified into strata,

one or more beaches were selected to be sampled in each stratum (Figure 1).

3. Each sample beach is visited two days per month and the data collected from vessels landing that day. The

data include vessel identification, fishing effort (amount of gear, number of crew, hours fished), fishing

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ground, species landed by weight and the price. Other data collected include total number of vessels that

went to sea that day, the number of fishing days for the month and descriptive comments on the weather

and beach conditions.

4. The data are collected from fishers by the Data Collection and Extension Officers of the NFA.

5. Biological data such as weight, length, sex and maturity of select species are also collected monthly. These

species include Caribbean spiny lobster, dolphinfish, skipjack tuna and conch. In conjunction with the catch

and effort data, the biological data are used for stock assessment and for detecting trends etc., which are

necessary for proper decision making.

6. Estimation of the total landings is based on the following:

✓ Percentage of active vessels/gears for sampled site(s)

✓ Total fish landings at known site for sampled site(s)

✓ Estimate of the Catch per unit of effort (CPUE) for sampled site(s)

✓ Calculate estimate of active vessels/gears that went to sea multiplied by CPUE for un-sampled sites

✓ Summation of sampled and un-sampled sites will give total landings.

✓ Calculations are done by stratification e.g. coastal pelagics.

As it relates to the industrial (large-scale) fisheries, completed vessel log sheets are collected from the operators

of industrial fishing vessels on the day of landing. The data captured on the log sheet include, but are not limited

to, catch, effort, location, gear type, level of processing on factory vessels and fishing ground. Landings are

verified through inspections of catch at the landing sites.

Figure 1 Overview of the sampling plan for the artisanal fishery of Jamaica

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Figure 3 Major marine fish landing sites on mainland, Jamaica

Figure 4 Regional position of Jamaica including delimited territorial waters and the Jamaica-Colombia Joint Regime Area

Figure 2 The fishery areas of Jamaica

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Barton Isle, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica

1.3.2 Aquaculture sector

Data are collected quarterly by the Aquaculture Extension Officers. The Extension Officers work closely with

fish farmers and vendors in acquiring data specific to ponds/tanks in production, farm gate and vendor prices,

fish production and feed consumption. This is achieved through emails, phone calls, farm visits and WhatsApp

messaging. Verification is done through routine farm visits fortnightly and monthly.

The aquaculture industry can be categorised into two components, food and ornamental fish, and aquatic

plants. The food fish subsector comprises primarily of the red hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis sp., of which there

are several varieties (Jamaica Red, Taiwanese Red, Rocky Mountain White, Sterling Red). The Nile tilapia

Oreochromis niloticus is also cultured, as well as Oreochromis mossambicus, which is also found primarily

in rivers across Jamaica. The ornamental fish subsector produces a variety of species which include egg layers

(goldfish and koi), live bearers (mollies swordtail, guppies) and mouth brooders (African cichlids and jack

dempsey). For the purposes of this report, only data gathered on the tilapia will be presented.

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Status Report

Capture Fisheries

Status Report – Capture Fisheries

Fishing Fleet

Licensing Categories

Estimated Production and Value

Factors affecting the Industry

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2. STATUS REPORT - CAPTURE FISHERIES

2.1 Fishing Fleet

A variety of mechanised and non-mechanised fishing boats operate in Jamaican waters. The non-mechanised

boats are generally propelled by oars and are made of wood or a mixture of wood and fibreglass. The

mechanised boats are of the fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) open hull canoe type, propelled by outboard engines

(25 - 75 HP) with dimensions of 8.4 x 1.5 x 0.9 m on average. The decked vessels are generally made of steel

with lengths averaging 15 - 30 m.

Table 1 provides information on the number of vessels registered up to the second quarter of the financial year

2022/2023.

Table 1 Number of vessel licences issued since 1996

Period

Number

Registered Vessels

1996 – Sept 2022

8,920

New

Jan – Sep 2022

Renewals

Jan – Sep 2022

313

During the first two quarters (April-September 2022), the

highest level of renewal of licences was noted in August,

whilst May reflected the highest number of new registration

of vessels (Figure 4). Of the total number of boat licences

issued, the majority were renewals from the Kingston and

St. Catherine areas (Figure 5). Approximately half of the

vessels that have been issued licences during the period

April-September 2022 fell within the 12-17.9m vessel

length category (Figure 6).

Figure 5 Number of boat licenses issued by category during April-September 2022

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Figure 6 Number of boat licences issued by category and parish, April-September 2022

NB: Data were not available on the registration status of vessels in May 2022 and this is noted in Figures 4 and 5. The lack of data

was due to an internal issue regarding data being captures on the system.

Figure 7 Distribution of vessel size classes renewed by number during April-September 2022

2.2 Licensing Categories

During the period April to September 2022, a total of 2,975 licences were issued with the highest number

recorded during August (Figure 7). From this total, 92.4% represents the artisanal fishery, 6.5% represents the

recreational fishery, 0.87% the industrial while to a lesser extent (0.02%) the riverine fishery (Table 2). Most

fishers that were licensed fell within the 40-55 age groups (Figure 8) and approximately 92% were males

(Figure 9).

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Figure 8 Number of Fisher Licences issued by month April-September 2022

Table 2 Number and percentage composition of fisher licence issued April-September 2022

License Type

Number

Percentage

COMMERCIAL FISHING

(ARTISANAL FINFISH)

2,750

92.44

COMMERCIAL FISHING (IRISH

MOSS)

0.10

INDUSTRIAL FISHING

0.87

RECREATIONAL FISHING

194

6.52

RIVERINE FINFISH

0.07

Figure 9 Age distribution of licensed fishers

April-September 2022

Figure 10 Sex distribution (%) of licensed

fishers April-September 2022

2.3 Estimated Production and Value

The data collection system for the artisanal fisheries is based on landings at individual beaches. The average

number of days fished per month is twenty days. The artisanal fish production is diverse and includes finfish

species (such as snappers, parrotfish, jacks, and grunts), lobster, and conch.

The overall marine finfish production for the period April - September 2022 was 4,624.84 MT (Table 3, Figure

10) valuing approximately US$59.7 Mil or over JMD$9 billion (Table 4). The artisanal fishery accounted for

~94% of total marine fish production by quantity. The industrial spiny lobster fishery is based on reported

landings and includes weights of whole, tails and head meat combined.

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Table 3 Marine fish production (MT) trend by fishery type, April-September 2022

Table 4 Estimated value (USD for Marine fish production (MT) by fishery type, April-September 2022

Figure 11 Marine fish production trend by fishery type, April-September 2022

Further examination of the artisanal fishery shows that landings from the southern shelf and the proximal

banks contributed to over 55 percent of the total production for the period April – September 2022 (Figure

11). Peak productivity was observed in August for both north and south coast (Figure 12). The reef, offshore

and deep slope fisheries yielded the greatest productivity during the period (Figure 13).

Fishery April May June July August September Total

Composition

Atrisanal finfish

473.6

516.03

801.62 953.9 1,375.11 504.58 4,624.84 93.65

Industrial Conch 50.32 110.60 65.53 34.26 260.70 5.28

Industrial Spiny Lobster* 0 7.17 45.98 53.15 1.08

Total Marine Production 523.92 626.63 867.15 988.16 1382.28 550.56 4,938.69 100

* Reported weight for whole, tail and head meat

Close Season

Production (MT)

Fishery April May June July August September Total

% Contribution

Atrisanal finfish 5,172,454.24 7,055,236.75 10,095,239.24 11,643,546.46 14,960,602.27 6,183,415.72 55,110,494.69 92.18

Industrial Conch 721,045.00 1,584,869.00 938,983.50 490,919.00 3,735,816.50 6.25

Industrial Spiny Lobster* 0.00 126,350.12 810,671.96 937,022.08 1.57

Total Marine Production 5,893,499.24 8,640,105.75 11,034,222.74 12,134,465.46 15,086,952.39 6,994,087.68 59,783,333.27 100.00

Estimated Value (USD)

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2.4 Factors affecting the Industry

The capture fisheries sub-sector has been affected negatively by several factors. During the reporting period,

the factors reported include:

✓ Weather conditions, including strong winds, rough seas, heavy rainfalls, hurricanes and tropical

storms

✓ Poor water visibility due to pollution, land run-off, mixing of the ocean

✓ Influx of the Sargassum seaweed especially along south coast for an extensive period

✓ Strong currents

✓ Fish-kill, due to pollution or climate change impacts.

Figure 12 Artisanal fish production trend by Coastal

communities, April-September 2022

Figure 13 North vs South coast percentage

composition

of fish production

Figure 14 Artisanal fish production trend by fishery groups April-September 2022

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Status Report

Aquaculture Sector

Status Report

Aquaculture Sector

Status Report – Aquaculture

Production

Fish Farmers

Price

Factors affecting the Industry

Status Report – Aquaculture

Production

Employment

Price

Factors affecting the industry

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3. STATUS REPORT - AQUACULTURE SECTOR

3.1 Production

Aquaculture occurs primarily on the south-central plains of St. Catherine and Clarendon, as well as in the

parishes of St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland where the topography and soil type are suitable for aquaculture

production. There is minor production in the parishes of St. Thomas, Portland, St. Mary, St. Ann and Hanover.

In the main production areas, production systems are primarily semi-intensive utilizing earthen ponds

averaging 0.405 hectares (1 acre). In the minor production areas, production is mainly subsistence and small

scale with ponds being less than 0.405 hectares. The production systems are mainly concrete tanks or ponds

lined with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) liners using mainly semi-intensive production methods.

Presently there are a total of 860 earthen ponds and concrete tanks across Jamaica. From these production

systems approximately 455.96 MT of tilapia was produced during the period April – September 2022.

3.2 Fish Farmers

At the end of 2021, there were a total of 104 registered fish farmers. During the period January – March 2022,

two farms were sold to new operators. This resulted in two farmers exiting the aquaculture subsector. During

this period also, twelve new farmers entered including the operators of the two farms that were sold. For the

period under review (April-June and July September, 2022), only one new entrant was recorded. This brings

the total number of fish farmers to 115 at the end of September 2022. New entrants were recorded from the

parishes of St. Catherine, Clarendon and St. Elizabeth. Also noteworthy is that the majority of fish farmers

currently own their farms while a few are managers and supervisor.

Workers harvest fish from a local fishpond (Photo: Aquaculture Division)

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3.3 Price

All tilapia produced is absorbed by the local market. Most fish farmers rely on vendors to buy and distribute

their product. The product is usually sold at the farm-gate to the vendor who takes it to markets. The farmer

may also sell tilapia to restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and other distributors. The size preferred by local

consumers is 227–340 g. Sale price for tilapia per quarter is shown in the table below.

Table 5 Farm gate and retail price of tilapia

Quarter

Farm gate price

Retail price

April – June

$440- 450 per pound

$600 per pound

July – Sept

$440 per pound

$600- 650 per pound

The price of fry for the stocking of fishponds was J$4.00 each.

3.4 Factors affecting the Industry

During the period April-June and July-September 2022, challenges that fish farmers faced included the

following:

✓ There was occasional disruption in the supply of fish feed due to manufacturing/ importation

constraints.

✓ Water supply is limited in some areas. Water supply is sourced through various means – surface water,

wells and irrigation systems.

✓ Poor road conditions

✓ Seasonal flooding of ponds in some areas

Ornamental Fish – Koi (Photo: Aquaculture Division)

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Compliance

Introduction

Compliance with Licensing Requirements

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4 COMPLIANCE

4.1 Introduction

The Compliance Branch is within the FCLS Division, and it is

responsible for planning and implementing fisheries and aquaculture

compliance, and enforcement programmes for the Authority.

During the first quarter of the financial year (April to June 2002) nine

persons were charged and will be brought before the Parish Courts for

illegal possession of lobsters during the Lobster Close Season. A total

of 83 Inspections and public education sessions were carried out in

major tourist areas in Negril, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Portland.

During the second quarter (July-September), neither charges nor

inspections were made; however, intelligence gathering during the

Conch Close Season was executed. All the enforcement requests

received by the Unit were responded to, during both quarters.

Table 6 provides an overview of the Fines by Parish Courts for Close Season offences from 2019-2022. For

the 2022 Lobster Close Season, total fines to date are at $654,000. Since the 2019 Enforcement programme

began with funding from the Fisheries Management and Development Fund, a total of $2,721,000 in fines was

recorded. This does not include fines of $1.9M for the detention and seizure of two (2) Dominican Republic

Vessels and charges laid against their crew in 2019 by the JCF/JDF; as well as other pending court cases

including abscondment and warrants for arrests.

Table 6 Fines by Parish Courts for Close Season offences from 2019-2022

2019

2020

2021

2022

$742,000

$180,000

$1,145,000

$654,000

$1.9M

(Foreign poaching by 2

Dominican Republic

Vessels and their fishers)

Sub-Total: $2,721,000 (National and for Close Season Offences only)

Total: $4,621,000

4.2 Compliance with Licensing Requirements

Another area of compliance being tracked by the FCLS Division concerns the high incidence of individuals

fishing without a licence, which is part of Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. The data show

that on average, only 24% of persons being licensed each year, are renewing their licence from the previous

year although there is evidence to suggest that they continued to engage in fishing activity.

Table 7 shows the rate of renewal for individual licences to fish from 2017 to 2021.

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Table 7 Number of Individual Fisher Licences issued and Renewal percentage (excluding temporary permits)

Year

Number of Individual

Fisher Licences Issued

% Renewing from previous

year

2017

2530

2018

3467

2019

3654

2020

4979

2021

3995

Total: 18625

Mean: 23.5 ± 2.69

The total number of discrete fishers licensed from 2017 – 2021 was 12,424 individuals, of which:

• 19% renewed their fishing licence once,

• 9% renewed their fishing licence twice,

• 3% renewed their licence three times, and

• only 1% renewed every year from 2018 – 2021.

The data show that on average, fishers renew their licence eery 2 – 3 years and this lack of consistency shows

non-compliance with the requirement by law for an individual to be in possession of a valid licence when fishing.

For the two quarters under review, of the 2975 individual fishers licensed during the period, 810 were renewing

from the previous year; this represents 27%, which is consistent with the annual renewal trend.

As it relates to the licensing of vessels, although over 8,000 vessels have been registered since 1996, less than

900 vessel licences are licensed (new and renewals) each year. The rate at which vessel owners return to renew

their licence from the previous year is also as inconsistent as observed with individual licences.

The FCLS Division is responding to the trends highlighted by hosting monthly in-field licensing sessions and

increasing enforcement by training and deploying more compliance officers.

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Conclusion

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5. Conclusion

This first issue of the Jamaica Fisheries: Quarterly Statistics Report

for the NFA, shows the performance of the Jamaican fisheries sector

over the first two quarters of the Financial Year 2022 – 2023.

From the data presented for capture fisheries, it is evident that the

artisanal fishery plays a critical role in food security with 94% of

total fish production coming from this group of individuals. Fish

production overall accounted for 4,938.69MT which, at a value of

US$59.7M, can be considered economically significant. However,

with 2021 recording ~10,000 MT, the sector may not be on track to

surpass this figure based on the data for the first two quarters of

2022-2023. Future issues will show the progress in this area. It is

noteworthy that in August and September, both the north and south

coast artisanal fish production values were similar with reef, offshore

and deep slope fisheries being the most productive. The capture

fisheries sub-sector is impacted by a number of factors linked to

climate change and human behaviour, and these areas are important

to consider when developing management strategies.

Although fish production from Aquaculture is not to the extent it was

in the past, this sub-sector plays a critical role in food and nutritional

security and its performance will become increasingly more

important as fish production from marine capture fisheries is

projected to continue its decline.

The production value of 455.96 MT of tilapia produced in the first two quarters was lower than what was

projected for the sub-sector; however, historically, the expectation is for improvement in the remaining

quarters of the financial year. With 115 registered fish farmers producing freshwater tilapia for the local market

at prices more affordable than marine fish, there is great potential for expansion of this sub-sector which is

positioned to meet the protein needs of the population. The factors affecting the sub-sector were also

highlighted and a major one is water supply, which is critical for the success of any aquaculture facility.

Compliance with the Fisheries Act, 2018 and the regulations for the sector, is critical to ensure that the

resources are not overexploited. In the first two quarters, persons were charged and prosecuted under the new

legislation and the work of the compliance team continues. The data presented in this report show where failure

to renew one’s licence is a prevailing issue which, the NFA has started to address through public education

and increased enforcement.

Jamaica Fisheries: Quarterly Statistics Report

Vol. 1

Issue 1 | April

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September 2022

27 | P a g e

Appendices

Jamaica Fisheries: Quarterly Statistics Report

Vol. 1

Issue 1 | April

–

September 2022

28 | P a g e

Appendices

Number and percentage of fishers licensed by age group

Age Groups

Numbers

% Composition

16 - 24

170

5.71

25 - 39

794

26.69

40 - 55

1,130

37.98

56 - 69

726

24.40

70 - 89

153

5.14

90 and over

0.07

Grand Total

2,975

100.00

Artisanal fish production (MT) trend by coastal communities April-September 2022

Artisanal fish production (MT) trend by fishery groups April-September 2022

Estimated value (J$) for the artisanal fish production

Average Ex-vessel price (J$) per pound

Fishery April May June July August September

REEF 800 1000 650 900 800 1000

COASTAL PELAGICS 500 600 600 500 500 500

OFFSHORE AND DEEPSLOPE 800 1000 1000 900 800 800

NO BOAT 800 1000 1000 1000 800 800

SHRIMP 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000

Fishery April May June July August September Grand Total

REEF 603,471,184.23 782,441,252.66 294,226,644.21 559,147,969.98 834,537,766.88 520,682,480.07 3,594,507,298.03

COASTAL PELAGICS 53,625,249.65 61,045,624.47 95,053,372.71 176,363,253.97 243,462,602.21 85,932,082.82 715,482,185.83

OFFSHORE AND DEEPSLOPE 67,282,260.54 134,751,333.33 1,140,946,159.00 758,928,180.17 909,929,296.97 82,539,482.52 3,094,376,712.53

NO BOAT 78,456,000.00 98,070,000.00 14,910,000.00 275,473,400.00 286,322,938.18 247,017,866.67 1,000,250,204.85

SHRIMP 344,000.00 20,640,000.00 344,000.00 10,269,014.29 6,192,000.00 7,912,000.00 45,701,014.29

Grand Total 803,178,694.42 1,096,948,210.46 1,545,480,175.92 1,780,181,818.41 2,280,444,604.24 944,083,912.08 8,450,317,415.53

Fishery April May June July August September Grand Total

COASTAL PELAGICS 48.65 46.15 71.86 159.99 220.87 77.96 625.47

NO BOAT 44.48 44.48 6.76 124.95 162.34 140.06 523.08

OFFSHORE AND DEEPSLOPE 38.15 61.12 517.53 382.49 515.92 46.80 1,562.01

REEF 342.16 354.91 205.32 281.81 473.18 236.18 1,893.55

SHRIMP 0.16 9.36 0.16 4.66 2.81 3.59 20.73

Grand Total 473.60 516.03 801.63 953.90 1,375.11 504.58 4,624.85

Strata Production April May June July August September Grand Total

NORTH COAST PRODUCTION 98.53 98.25 549.42 415.72 673.04 237.90 2,072.86

SOUTH COAST PRODUCTION 375.06 417.78 252.21 538.19 702.07 266.68 2,551.99

Grand Total 473.60 516.03 801.63 953.90 1,375.11 504.58 4,624.85

Jamaica Fisheries: Quarterly Statistics Report

Vol. 1

Issue 1 | April

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September 2022

29 | P a g e

Tilapia production (MT), Pond in production (Acres) and the number of registered fish farmers by parish,

April – September 2022

Parish

Production

(MT)

Acres in

Production

Registered

Farmers

St Catherine

290.44

500.2

St Elizabeth

57.1

132

St Ann

Portland

0.3

0.25

St Mary

0.25

Clarendon

107.8

St Thomas

0.3

2.5

Westmoreland

0.02

4.5

Hanover

6.5

Total

455.96

725.2

115

List of common ornamental species cultured in Jamaica

Tetra

Neon Tetra

Cardinal Tetra

Fresh water shark

Red-Tail Black

Shark Sevrum

Zebra Danio

Giant Danio

Fighter Fish.

Oscar

Kio

Goldfish

Angel Fish

Discus

African Cichlid

Rosy Barb

Moss Green Barb

Tiger Barb

Gourami

Paradise Fish