BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC -Trinidad and Tobago has assumed the chairmanship of the Caribbean Fisheries Forum (CFF) that ended a two-day meeting here formulating policy recommendations for action by the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Ministerial Council when it meets at the end of this month.
Director of Fisheries in Trinidad and Tobago, Mrs. Nerissa Lucky, replaces Zojindra Arjune, the Deputy Director of Fisheries in Suriname, who had been in the position for the past year.
During its meeting here, the CFF, the technical and advisory arm of the CRFM, focused on advancing sustainable management, conservation, and development of the region’s fisheries and aquaculture sector.
“The Forum discussed and agreed on several significant actions to strengthen governance and management of the fisheries sector as we move forward to realize our collective vision of a future of profitable, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture industries,” said CRFM executive director Milton Haughton.
He said the initiatives are underpinned by healthy ecosystems and marine biodiversity and driven by the application of science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
“It is imperative at this time that we accelerate development and implementation of the policy, legal and institutional reforms and make the investments needed to realize the full potential of our marine and other aquatic resources for sustainable development of our countries, and to provide adequate food, decent jobs, and a better quality of life for our people in the region,” he added.
CFF said the meeting addressed various regional challenges and opportunities, including building the sector’s resilience to environmental and economic shocks, improving food security, strengthening regional and international trade, and the state of fisheries resources.
It also discussed implementing the recently concluded World Trade Organization (WTO) Fisheries Subsidies agreement and the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework adopted by the 15th Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
In addition, the delegates discussed blue economic development, including initiating the Promoting National Blue Economy Priorities Through Marine Spatial Planning in the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem Plus project, valued at approximately US$47 million.
The CFF also acknowledged the need to reduce disaster risk and improve the climate resilience of the fisheries and aquaculture sector, as well as the constant Sargassum influxes, which are forecasted to be the largest ever recorded for this region this year.
The forum also finalized the text of a new regional protocol to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Common Fisheries Policy, which focused on the role of fish and seafood as a strategic resource for food and nutrition security in the region.
CFF said that the formulation of this policy is timely, as the CRFM and other CARICOM agencies make a concerted effort to reduce the region’s food import bill by 25 percent by 2025.
The forum also finalized the text of a regional policy document aimed at preventing Abandoned, Lost, or otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) and the CRFM’s collaboration with the Global Ghost Gear Initiative to address the problem, which adversely affects the marine environment and ecosystems.
Efforts to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and transnational organized crime, which use fishing as a cover for unlawful maritime activities, were also discussed during the two-day meeting.
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