B&D tests Jamaica’s ocean-farmed red drum as feed and supply costs remain hurdles

B&D Trawling is looking to expand its seafood purchasing network to fishing communities that raise fish in ocean cages, after buying a pilot harvest and reporting encouraging early retail sales.

Chief Executive Officer Roderick Francis told the Jamaica Observer that the company sees an opportunity for coastal communities to supply farmed seafood alongside the fishermen from whom it already buys. B&D was the successful bidder for the entire National Fisheries Authority red-drum harvest, approximately 5,000 pounds, and is testing demand at its downtown Kingston outlet.

The harvest took place on October 8, 2026 at the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard Operational Base in Bowden, St Thomas. It followed a seven-month NFA pilot conducted with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. The retail trial is the next commercial test after that production experiment.

Marine cage farming raises fish in enclosures at sea. It is a form of aquaculture—the cultivation of aquatic organisms—and differs from the freshwater farming already established in Jamaica, including tilapia raised in land-based ponds. Francis’ proposed community-supply network would extend the purchasing model to another production setting.

Francis says the red drum will be priced below snapper and competitively with kingfish and imported sea trout. He did not disclose B&D’s purchase price or its retail prices. Whole fish, fillets and sliced portions are being sold, with the amount charged depending on preparation: processed portions leave less saleable weight than the whole fish.

B&D is gathering feedback on customer preferences through retail sales and is not yet concentrating on supermarket or hotel buyers. Francis expects a relatively short trial because early sales are quick and encouraging, but those initial sales are only part of the test of a reliable commercial supply.

He identifies feed cost and availability as a major hurdle, alongside suitable sites, storm protection, technical support and environmental management. He says government assistance to improve access to competitively priced, high-quality feed could help make production viable. Farming conditions and the timing of production also matter when moving beyond a single harvest.

A more regular supply would require producers to stagger their cycles rather than bring all fish to market together. Using the pilot’s two large commercial cages as his reference, Francis suggests about 12 cages operating on staggered cycles as a starting point that could potentially support monthly harvests.

B&D is also working with the Alligator Head Foundation and Drapers Fishermen’s Harbour Association in Portland to explore integrated multi-trophic aquaculture. The approach combines species with different feeding roles in one farming area; the initiative described by Francis considers species at different depths.

He says that work is supported by a grant from the Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility and aims to create a commercially viable, environmentally responsible model that brings additional income to fishermen and their families.

Consumer preferences will help determine which fish have the strongest prospects. Francis suggests that familiar red snapper, usually sold whole at around a pound or less, could suit the market if technical and economic feasibility can be established.

He says species, size and price need to match buyers’ preferences. Consistent supply and competitive prices against imported fish would also be required for a locally farmed product to remain commercially viable.