Pig farmer spearheads restoration of Savanna-la-Mar fishing village

Nesta Anderson, a pig farmer from Ricketts Avenue, or 'Russia', in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, is on a mission to restore St Mary's Fishing Village, a facility utilised by about 100 fisherfolk in the parish.

Anderson said he has witnessed the deterioration of the beach over time and had decided to do something about it. With the assistance of Project STAR, he and the fisherfolk hope to restore the beach to its former glory.

"I took it upon my head that I'm going to fight for the community. Mostly young guys are doing fishing now. But I see it as a good challenge to help the community," he said.

So far, Anderson and the fishermen have kept the beach clean over the last three months with regular beach clean-ups. They, however, want more problem areas to be addressed, such as beach erosion, regular collection of waste, bathroom facilities and potable water on the beach.

Semone Griffiths, project officer for Savanna-la-Mar at Project STAR, said that restoring the fishing village was one of the priority areas that community members identified.

"We have been working with the group to develop a strategic plan. They have shared with us their vision for the beach. They want a bathroom facility in place, potable water on the beach and to be formalised as a fishing co-operative, and we are working with them to achieve these," she informed.

Griffiths said that one major success was the clean-up of the beach. "Over the last 10 years, they have tried to clean up the beach. But on Labour Day, some 40 fishermen were able to organise a massive beach clean-up, which was very successful," she said.