Portland fisher Shashay Shaw urges more women into Jamaica’s fisheries sector

Shashay Shaw, a 30-year-old fisher from Norwich in Portland, grew up around the sea and says the trade is not simply her job, but part of the family history that shaped her. “My father (Alvin) and my mother (Alecia) were together… going out in boats fishing… before I was even born. So, it’s something that was developed in me from childhood, or from birth,” Shaw said.

Based in the Lower Bryan’s Bay/Norwich area, Shaw has carved out space for herself in an occupation long viewed as men’s work. She said that in her early days, some people seemed unsure why she was on the water. “When I just started fishing, a lot of persons were looking at me as if [to question]: What was I doing out there?… until they actually saw me on videos doing what a man is capable of doing,” she said.

Shaw said the work comes with real demands, from spending long periods at sea to travelling far in search of fish. Still, she is calling on more young women to take a serious look at fishing as a possible path. “It’s not hard to be a fisherfolk,” she said, adding that people who are interested can contact the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining for information before deciding.

She also advised prospective fishers to learn directly from people already in the trade. “Ask someone who does fishing, or you can just visit any beach. Ask them to bring you out and let you see what it's like, [and] if it's something that you would wish to pursue,” Shaw said.

Shaw’s own operation recently got major support when she was handed a 26-foot single-engine boat through the Fisheries Production Incentive Programme at a ceremony at Pagee Beach in St Mary. The programme, introduced by the agriculture ministry through the National Fisheries Authority, is intended to upgrade Jamaica’s fisheries industry by providing fisherfolk with equipment and training, with particular attention on young people and women joining the sector.

Shaw said she became emotional after finding out she had been chosen to receive the boat and engine.