Saba fishermen forming an association.
SABA--Born out of concern about their future and the future of the fishing industry on their island, the fishermen of Saba came together to form the Saba Fisherman Association (SFA).
The association comprises commercial and recreational fishermen in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Saba, which lies within the Saba Bank and the surrounding waters.
Their goal is to have a positive impact in the community while sustainably securing the future of Saba’s fishing industry.
The Saba Bank is an important resource for the Saba fishermen, and the co-management of this marine resource is a large, but necessary undertaking to safeguard its future.
Fisheries have fundamental economic, ecological and societal value for Saba. With Saba’s small community, there are many opportunities and challenges in managing this type of marine resource. To ensure sustainability, there must be local cooperation, the new association said.
The formation of the association was facilitated by marine resource consultant Dahlia Hassell of the consultancy ConnecSea with the support of the public entity Saba, in particular Commissioner Bruce Zagers.
The SFA board consists of President Hemmie van Xanten, Treasurer Cassandra Holm, Secretary Otto de Vries and board members Ryan Hassell and Bradley Johnson.
The SFA invites the public of Saba to celebrate the first chapter of its journey at Deep End, Fort Bay, at 8:00pm Saturday, December 21. Music will be provided by DJ Zander Zone.
