In Barbados, restaurants can no longer offer flying fish every day. Because of the shortage of this staple food, prices have skyrocketed. Previously we had a hundred flying fish for 10 euros. Today with 13 euros we only have 10 fish.
This national dish of Barbados, the emblem of the tourism bureau that also appears on the dollar coin, becomes a luxury for many homes
At one time, flying fish accounted for 65% of the catch of fishermen. In St. Lucia, fishermen in the town of Vieux Fort, located in the south of the island, make the same observation. They do not take flying fish any more.
Sargassum beds prevent flying fish from spreading their wings in order to move properly over the sea surface.
Shanna Emmanuel, a fisheries biologist, estimates that flying fish are moving north in search of cooler waters where Sargassas are absent. Sargassas love the warmer waters.
According to figures published by FAO, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, catches of fish in the Caribbean, all species combined, have fallen by 40% in the last 20 years. On a global scale, overfishing in the region is catastrophic.
Today 80% of the fish and seafood consumed in the Caribbean is imported.
Source: News 784
