Agriculture ministry mulls drones to combat fish poachers

THE agriculture and Fisheries Ministry is considering using drones to man the country's fisheries resources and combat illegal fishing by foreign poachers.

"We are now in the process of looking at drones to deal with policing our fish resources because we are losing millions of dollars each year to foreign poachers when those catches should be here to feed our people, to export, and to make money," Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke told guests at the launch of the Rainforest Seafoods Festival on Tuesday at the company's Slipe Road complex in Kingston.

Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS) either controlled by pilots from the ground or increasingly, autonomously, following a pre-programmed mission. Low-cost UAVs can be specially designed and equipped with sensors able to detect and locate poachers.