Martinique: fisherman identification system to reassure consumers

With 8 fishing ports and port facilities of territorial importance (APIT) located in the coastal municipalities (Les Anses d’Arlet, Case Pilote, Le Diamant, Le François, Grand Rivière, Le Marin, Trinité, le Vauclin), Martinique is facing an urgent organization their fisheries. Work begun ten years ago has led to the creation of a system for identifying professionals who logically adhere to the charter of commitment that governs the activity.

“We continue the work begun by my predecessors. This is originally. We are satisfied,” says Jean-Michel Cotrebil, Chairman of the Fisheries Committee. In fact, of the 550 sea fishermen listed by the Direction de la mer, approximately 50% have signed the charter and received their identification badges.

Thus, on November 23, the Chairman of the Fisheries Committee, together with public services, his fellow fishermen, representatives of the mayors and the territorial community of Martinique, presented tools to track the participants in this sector. maps pasted on boats and equipment.

For Jean-Christophe Bouvier, Prefect of Martinique, it is about “responding to the challenge of Chlordecone, which has banned fishing on a third of the coast of Martinique. But beyond that, there is the problem of providing Martiniquais and Martiniquais with a quality product coming from the regions, with the exception of Chlordecone, which will be enhanced by this work being done by everyone, that is, when the tracking is done correctly.”

Improve resource utilization

Thus, this organization promises good management of fish resources in terms of the sustainability of the resources and therefore the activities. For example, fishing for white sea urchins remains prohibited so that the species can reproduce sufficiently, except for a few days (between October 1 and December 31) and provided that the resource, i.e., an indicator of the abundance and development of the gonads, allows this.

For Claude Joncarte, who has been fishing in a variety of ways (line, trap, longline) on Le Vauclin for fifteen years, “this is an advantage because this registration allows you to see what kind of people have a good reputation and often visit the port of sin. This reassures the client and proves the openness of the professional in relation to his profession. The badge and QR code give a complete resume of a professional.”

However, the work to harmonize and improve the exploitation of marine resources has not yet been completed. Other meetings will be scheduled for 2023, knowing that fund audits have shown that the perimeter of the marine areas affected by the Chlordecone molecule has decreased.