Residents and fishermen in Old Harbour Bay, St Catherine, have been reacting to news of the proposed transformation of Goat Island into the widely anticipated logistics hub, in anticipation of the expansion of the Panama Canal.

When The Gleaner visited yesterday, the beach at Old Harbour Bay was full of fishermen, residents and business operators, some of whom were eager to share their thoughts on the potential development.

Clifford Wright, a resident of Old Harbour, said he was in support of Goat Island as the site of the logistics hub as long as the environment is kept intact.

"If the development is not going to be detrimental to the environment as a whole, it's a good plan," Wright told The Gleaner from outside a bar just metres from the shoreline of Old Harbour Bay.

Fisherman Fredrick Henry pointed out the need for balance in relation to developments of this kind benefiting the neighbouring communities.

"Infrastructure like that have good and it have bad. The good [is that] it give work to some people, but small fishermen like me, wi lose the area where wi do fishing. Most time, it always ban, so we nuh get to do nuh more fishing in the area and we lose that part deh," he explained.

martin.baxter@gleanerjm.com [2]