Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:

As befuddled fisher folk ponder Government's reluctance to invest in what they say could be a multimillion-dollar diamond-back squid industry, Fritz Pinnock, executive director of the Caribbean Maritime Institute, is urging local fishing interests to delve into the trade.

Mr. Pinnock stated that should fishermen tap into the industry, which reportedly pulls in US$100 million yearly in Japan, it would offer greater economic benefits as well as lessen the stress on shallow water fish species.

"The selling price for common fish species is a mere $60 per pound while squid sushi material on the east coast of the United States goes for far more than $600 per pound," he explained.

"I would, therefore, encourage local fishers to venture deeper at sea and enjoy a higher profit margin."

Fisherfolk at the Whitehouse Fishermen Cooperative in Montego Bay, disclosed that they have been seeing diamond-back squid in abundance off Jamaica's north coast over the past 20 years. Upon learning from officials of the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) that it could be a lucrative industry local, they have been trying without success to get government to buy into the establishment of a local industry.

"We are extremely frustrated because we could be generating millions of dollars from this industry," said president Troy Jumpp. "The Japanese are ready to partner with us, but the Government is not showing any interest."

Diamond-back squids belong to a diverse group of marine molluscs and are popular in cuisine in Japan and the United States. According to JICA officials, based on the volume of squid casings spotted off Jamaica's north coast, Jamaica could develop an industry 10 times the size of that in Japan.

"Studies have been done, but there is no empirical evidence to say that there are enough diamond-back squids to establish a viable operation," commented Ian Jones, senior fisheries officer at the Ministry of Agriculture.