JAPEX delegates get hands-on look at White River Fish Sanctuary

A successful JAPEX 2026 conference concluded with some visitors taking part in the event’s Corporate Social Responsibility Day.

The focus shifted from conference rooms to community projects supported by tourism stakeholders. This year’s activities featured the St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital, Teen and Adult Challenge (formerly Teen Challenge), and the White River Fish Sanctuary.

On September 17, nearly 20 overseas conference participants, along with representatives of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and other tourism-sector personnel, visited the White River Fish Sanctuary for a first-hand look at how a marine conservation area operates.

Some visitors were surprised by the amount of work required to run a successful sanctuary, as they took part in activities tied to the three pillars underpinning its operations: protect, restore and engage.

“For restore, we had our guests help us put together our coral nursery trees, helping set up the nursery, put it together and string up some corals in the nursery, as part of our coral restoration programme,” explained sanctuary manager Jonathan Hernould.

For the engagement pillar, participants conducted water-quality testing.

“So, we took water samples from the White River and we did 20 water quality tests to identify different elements that were in the water, and, for protect, we had them go out on the water with the game wardens to show them where they work on a day-to-day basis, and show them what they do every day, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”

The sanctuary’s impact extends beyond the sea. It has established environmental clubs in three schools in the Ocho Rios area, helping to build awareness of conservation among younger generations.

Established in 2017, the White River Fish Sanctuary is a no-take conservation zone stretching 3.5 kilometres and covering 150 hectares. Its primary objective is to restore coral reefs and increase fish populations.

By the end of 2022, the sanctuary was reporting encouraging results. Its efforts had increased fish biomass within the protected area by 55 per cent.

That growth means not only that more fish are present, but also that their overall weight has increased, reversing a decades-long decline in fish populations.

During the same five-year period, coral coverage within the sanctuary increased by 28 per cent, underscoring the impact of its conservation and restoration programmes.

carl.gilchrist@gleanerjm.com