In addition to the previous report from Guyana, here’s more news, this time from Barbados, about steps being taken to improve the safety and sustainability of Caribbean fisheries sectors:
Minister of Agriculture, Senator Haynesley Benn, indicated that his administration recognised the importance of constantly upgrading the fisheries sector, and was committed to doing so through the implementation of a number of programmes.
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Meanwhile, the Agriculture Minister told those gathered that regional fisheries resources were of vital importance to the CARICOM Member States.“The people of Member States depend on the resources for sustenance, livelihood and recreation. And these resources are renewable and to some extent resilient to change. However, the ability of fish stocks to renew themselves and bounce back from change is at risk, especially if too many fish are taken from the population, as is the case with many fish stocks at the national, regional and international levels,” Minister Benn surmised.
He also contended that over the past decades, in the face of increasing demand for fish and fish products, many coastal states have increasingly over-exploited their fish resources and consequently, threatened the contribution of fish to food security and livelihoods.
The Minister was speaking at the opening of a regional Fish Stock Assessment training course. The course, which is being held at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), runs from August 23rd to September 3rd. It is jointly organised by the UWI, the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) and the United Nations University Fisheries Training Programme. Find out more in reports from the Barbados Government Information Service and the Barbados Advocate, as well as in this CRFM information note.
[Photo: Ben Daines]
