Agriculture Minister Farrell delivers workshop certificates
Last Friday 18 individuals received certificates at the closing ceremony of a one-week Fisheries workshop at the Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA) conference room at St. John’s.
The group consisted of local officials and fishers, along with those from St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua who received training in the art of fish processing and the handling of especially, the Garfish.
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) funded the workshop, facilitated by the St. Vincentian consultant Ms. Anesta Humphrey.
According to Fisheries Officer Mr. Alwyn Ponteen, the workshop marks the beginning of a new future for garfish as a commercial product.
Fisheries Officer, Alwyn Ponteen
“Today marks a beginning of the future of the Gar Fisheries in the Northern Leeward Islands. It has been overlooked for the past seventy five years in recognizing this participants from St. Kitts, Nevis and Antigua have joined our local fishers in a five day training program in fish processing,” Ponteen said.
He said, “The garfish that we have was seen as a discard and was only used for bate and to make animal feed, now, today this once discarded fish have become a brand name for this island. We the Fisher Officers have realized that we can use the garfish as a commercial brand for the Northern Windward islands and thus ensuring the sustainability of livelihood for both fishers and their house hold.”
Ag. Director of Agriculture, Claude Browne
Acting Director of the Agriculture Mr. Claude Brown is optimistic to see increased processing of fish and the production of garfish and other fish on island. He expressed satisfaction at the completion of the workshop and hopes that the participants are better at fish processing. “We have a logical end that would be something that is profitable. We are not at the stage of production in fisheries here we’ are able to produce, we are harvesters, but if we can produce something out of what we harvest I think we can meet the third stream of producing more,” he concluded.
The Director said, It is significant that we combine our experience together… and with technology I hope that with us meeting here and going back to our respective islands that we’ll be in communication an share our experience and that fishing in the Caribbean not only in the Northern Leeward can provide much more fresh protein of an higher quality and that our local fisheries can be such that we don’t have to depend on the salt-fish and the sardines that are coming in cans etc.”
Garfish filleted and packaged
The five-day fish processing work shop opened Monday morning at the Royal Montserrat Police Service conference room where Minister of Agriculture Easton Farrell-Taylor addressed the appreciable gathering of participants and invited guests. The Minister was also on hand for the closing ceremony.
