Project has the backing of Riu Hotels & Resorts
Aquatic creatures found off the shores of Montego Bay have been befriended by the Montego Bay Marine Park Trust, which in turn has been befriended by Riu Hotels & Resorts.
NGO Montego Bay Marine Park Trust among other things educates schoolchildren about threats to marine life in the Montego Bay Marine Park, home to the likes of parrotfish, which are a popular food in Jamaica but which are seen their numbers dwindling.
Parrotfish like to feed on algae that grows on coral, a dining practice that leads to healthier coral, with the marine park home to that aquatic life form.
The trust’s Sharlinda Forrester, who oversees education and outreach at the NGO, says it’s aware that Jamaicans have an appreciation for dining on parrotfish.
“We’re not saying don’t eat it but wait until it reaches a mature size,” she says.
The trust monitors parrotfish populations and also works to remove lionfish from the park, with lionfish — which are native to Asian waters — having reached the Caribbean and now feeding voraciously on other fish, something that’s alarmed many marine biologists in the region.
“We’re going to be the hunters,” Forrester says of park efforts to remove lionfish.
Trust staff have the authority to stop and search boats, confiscating the likes of lobster and conch taken out of season.
Their Alternative Livelihoods project for fisherfolk works to stem the introduction of new fishers into what is described as a saturated market. In 2004, the Trust launched the Sustainable Fisheries Management project “Fish Cyaan Done!,” the name of which reflects the misguided belief that fish stocks can’t be depleted.
But Forrester says much of its work revolves around educating young Jamaicans about the importance of marine conservation, with staff hosting about 1,200 students a year.
“We have to reach and teach the population about what we’re doing,” she says.
Glass-bottom boat park rides are available, enabling visitors to see both fish and coral.
Meanwhile, RIU, which now has seven Jamaican resorts, provides funding to Montego Bay Marine Park Trust and other worthwhile Jamaican endeavours. “We’re happy to support projects like this,” RIU spokesman Jorge Satorre says of the trust.
