CHARLTON FALCONER has been a fisherman for over 42 years. It is the only trade he has known since he moved from St Thomas to Rae Town in Kingston, when he was 13 years old. He has fond memories of his early days fishing in the Kingston Harbour, and remembers the vast expanse of the sea that they would conquer on a daily basis.
However, Falconer said many things have since changed about the Kingston Harbour, including garbage pollution that has threatened his livelihood. The mangroves, he said, have been significantly destroyed, and these are key areas that are natural habitats for young schools of fish.
“First time, we could fish here on the Harbour, but now we have to go far out places like Pedro Cays, Pigeon Island, and ‘Mama Hole’ to catch fish. We used to catch up to 100 pounds of fish per night in the Harbour; now we may catch up to 50 pounds and our catch also depends on the weather,” Falconer said.
There are varying types of waste in the Kingston Harbour, and in a light moment, Falconer said you can literally furnish a house from the waste material in the sea. “Fridge, stove, bed, sofa, plastic bottles aplenty,” he said.
He would like to see people taking better care of the environment as it impacts the fish and marine life, and by extension, their source of income that takes care of their families. “Stop throwing things in the gullies. It doesn’t just come to Rae Town, everything heads back to the sea. What the sea doesn’t store, it puts aside and these are deposited in the mangroves,” Falconer said.
Falconer and other fishermen recently participated in ‘The Great Mangrove Clean Up Trash Tournament’ organised by the Kingston Harbour Clean Up Project. The objective of the project was to remove trash and debris from areas surrounding mangrove forests, especially areas that are inaccessible by land, gather data on the type and quantity of waste deposited, and educate participants and the public about the importance of protecting our harbour and the implications of improper waste disposal.
Jade-Ashley Carberry, public relations and community outreach officer at the Kingston Harbour Clean Up Project said in April, they conducted a land-based clean-up project which was quite successful. However they also decided to conduct another exercise that would only be accessible by boat, and this sparked the trash tournament.
In partnership with the GraceKennedy Foundation and the Royal Jamaica Yacht Club, 18,164 pounds of waste was removed from the Kingston Harbour. Of that number 11,350 pounds was garbage and 6,814 pounds was plastic. There was a total of 21 boats on the water, including 11 fishing and 10 recreational. The recreational vessel that won the prize for the most trash collected removed 2,245 pounds of trash, while the fishing vessel that won the prize in that category removed 1,463 pounds,” Carberry said
“The waste is killing our marine life and ecosystem. Our aim is to intercept the waste before it gets to the ocean; and also, when it gets to the ocean. Together with our local sponsors we want to end pollution in the Kingston Harbour. Marine litter poses a significant threat to the overall health of our harbour,” Carberry said.
Clean waters, she said, will support marine life, improve water quality and biodiversity by maintaining vibrant marine habitats. “Other effects of clean waters also include improving boating, safety and experience, and reduce the risk of damage from submerged debris. It will also create a better harbour for all, ensure that the harbour is a thriving and enjoyable space for future generations,” she said.
According to Matthias Egger, director of environmental and social affairs at ‘The Ocean Clean Up’ based in Switzerland and also a partner on the Kingston Harbour Clean Up Project, they have just recently installed their eighth plastic interceptor at the Sandy Gully Bridge.
“We are continuously trying to avoid the plastic from coming to the ocean in the first place. We also want people to understand what the problem is, and tell them how important marine life, especially mangroves are to our environment. Plastic is killing our mangroves, and therefore we want to bring awareness and prevent the problem from reoccurring,” Egger said.
