BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – A four-day scientific conference began here on Monday with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General, Dr. Carla Barnett, praising the organizers for adhering to its mandate to promote responsible use of the region’s fisheries and other aquatic resources, for the economic and social benefits of the people of the Caribbean.
The conference, organized by the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), will feature an estimated 130 authors and speakers from the Caribbean and internationally, who will present on nine thematic areas of high interest to the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
Barnett told the virtual opening ceremony that the event brings together government policymakers and officials, scientists and researchers, fisherfolk, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to address the challenges facing the region’s marine living resources.
She said it also highlights opportunities that can chart a course toward a more prosperous, sustainable, and resilient future for our communities.
She said over the years. The CRFM has achieved considerable success in improving member states’ capacity to monitor and manage their fisheries.
“Through various programs and initiatives, it has developed regional policy and legal instruments to support sustainable fisheries management and conservation. Its work to strengthen capacity and empower fisherfolk to participate in national and regional planning and decision-making processes has advanced CARICOM’s regional agenda, including our strategic focus on developing our women and young people.”
Barnett said that the fisheries sector of the region continues to experience numerous obstacles and setbacks.
“Climate change, ocean acidification, overfishing, pollution, sargassum blooms, the invasive pacific lionfish, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing all place immense pressure on our marine fisheries and ecosystems. They also threaten fisherfolk’s jobs and livelihoods and our people’s food security.
“This scientific conference reiterates our call to all fisheries stakeholders to continue embracing collaboration, solidarity, and inclusivity.
“Sustainable fisheries development and management require the active participation of all stakeholders, and use of the best available scientific data and information to guide decisions regarding fisheries development and conservation, as well as protection of the marine ecosystems and biodiversity in the marine environment,” Barnett said.
She said the conference will provide a space for information exchange and dialogue on a range of topics of strategic importance to CARICOM, including food security, legislation and policy, sustainable use and conservation, data, science and research, capacity building, technology transfer, and blue economic growth.
“However, the work does not end here at this conference. Emphasis must continue on the need for continuous investment in research and development, applying knowledge and technology in fisheries and aquaculture, and creating value from other unutilized or under-utilized marine living resources.
“This includes the sargassum seaweed that has been blooming in increasing quantities in our waters over the past 12 years,” she said, urging the conference participants to “stay at the cutting edge of innovation, better understand the complexity of our marine ecosystems, and enhance their economic and social contribution to our communities and countries that depend on them.
“The health of the coastal and marine ecosystems and the well-being of our people are integrally connected,” Barnett added.
The CRFM said the conference aims to showcase the collective work done over the past two decades since its establishment while providing a space for networking, information exchange, and dialogue on various important topics.
The conference will also feature national reports from the 17 CRFM member states on the status of their fisheries and aquaculture industries.
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