The fishing industry in Barbados has grown over the years to the point where it is a foreign exchange earner and is an important contributor to the food resources of the island.
Fishing in the past was the occupation of only a few who bravely took their small sailboats to the fishing banks daily. It has now reached the stage where it's a commercial enterprise involved in processing and exporting fish and other seafood.
The Barbadian fishing fleet is now made up of modern motorized vessels some of which fish on a daily basis while there is a much larger trawler-type, which stays at sea for several days. The smaller boats are referred to in Bajan parlance as day-boats because they usually spend one day at sea while the larger ones are called ice-boats because they carry large supplies of ice and are able to go further and spend long periods without returning to shore. Oistins Town in Christ Church, Skeete's Bay in St. Philip, Conset Bay and Martin's Bay in St. John, Speightstown and Six Men's in St. Peter, Weston St. James, and Tent Bay in St. Joseph are home to several fishing vessels, most of them day boats.
There are several fishing villages dotted around Barbados but the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex, located just outside the Bridgetown Port and within walking distance from the city centre, is the major hub for the industry. Most of the boats operate out of this location, which, apart from offering safe harbour, supplies fuel and ice and has the facility for landing and processing catches. Most of the fishing villages have market facilities where fisher-folk, as the men and women of the industry are now called, sell their product.
Barbados is known as the land of the flying fish because of the abundance of this species around the island. The flying fish has got its name from its ability to leap from the water and glide through the air for long periods. Besides its unique habits the flying fish is a national delicacy and is delicious whether fried, steamed, or baked. Flying fish are seasonal creatures and are usually found around the island and even further south between the months of December and June. Processors now freeze the flying fish so that it can be exported and made available in Barbados year round.
Another fish, which is plentiful and contributes immensely to the viability of the industry in Barbados, is the dolphin or mahi mahi. This dolphin is not to be confused with the mammal; the dolphin we eat here is definitely a fish! Like the flying fish, the mahi mahi is delicious no matter how it is prepared and cooked. This fish is processed and frozen as well for use at home and for export. Barbados has also been quietly earning foreign exchange through the export of other fish. There is a ready market in the United States for tuna, marlin and kingfish.
There is another aspect of the Barbadian fishing industry which becomes more important during the periods when flying fish and dolphin are not available. This is referred to as 'pot fishing'. These fish pots are really traps made of mesh wire which are baited and placed near the reefs to catch several species of fish including the famous red snapper and cavali.
Fishing in Barbados is not all business. Visitors can enjoy game fishing off the shores of the island and can experience the
thrill of hauling in the big catch. Several game fishing boats operate on the West Coast and can be chartered.
Barbados is also home to another sea creature known as the sea-egg, acknowledged as a true 'Bajan delicacy'. This urchin is scientifically known as Tripnustes ventrichosus or white sea-egg and is found around the shores of Barbados. It has an oval shaped shell which is covered in spines or what Barbadians call prickles. Divers collect or 'pick' the sea-eggs from the ocean floor in relatively shallow waters around the south and east coasts of Barbados. On shore the shell is broken to reveal golden rows which are scooped out and placed in containers to be later seasoned and then fried or steamed. Sea-egg season has in past times extended from September to January but recently the industry has been under great stress as diminishing quantities indicate that the urchin is endangered. Laws have been introduced to protect the sea-egg and within the last five or six years government has had to place restrictions on harvesting. Persons found guilty or breaking these laws may be fined and/or imprisoned.
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