It seems almost every parish capital is next door to the sea. Morant Bay definitely is the shore literally across the road from the heart of the town.

One fisherman, Marlon Smith, has been in the field, or should we say, water, for 20 years. While most of the other fishermen Talk of the Town met were taking a break, Smith was busy patching and inspecting nets. We asked him how the fishing was going these days.

"Everyting change up yah now. One time yuh coulda seh, like November, December, yu a look fi di catch. But tings change up now," he said, pointing to the possible effects of global climate change.

no boat

Smith's father was also a fisherman and still lives in Morant Bay. The younger Smith doesn't own a boat, but goes out with various crews.

He said in times past, he would venture further out, but these days, he sticks to within a two-mile radius of the shore. It's not a lucrative business but "you can eat a food still", which is not great consolation when you think of the dangers of being a fisherman.

The younger Smith recalled an incident when the boat's engine stalled, leaving the crew drifting for two days.

"Wi neva even fret still, because a mi work still," he said nonchalantly.

Sidestepping those dangers and looking at what they have managed to achieve, fisher folk at the Morant Bay Fishing Beach are proud.

"This is the best fishing beach in the whole of Jamaica," said Froggy, a burly fellow who seemed to be the group's spokesman. He said, however, that the people would love to see the area get a little more attention.

"We would love to get light (elec-tricity), water and bathroom facilities," he said, mentioning that all these amenities had been promised had but not been delivered.

- Stories by Daviot Kelly

Marlon Smith tends to the nets, making sure there are no holes.