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NEWS
Commonwealth Study Team Calls For Revaluation Of Caribbean Fisheries And A Balanced Approach To Development And Food Security
04/02/09: A Commonwealth study tour team, completing a three nation Caribbean inquiry in Belize today, concluded that countries in the region need a more balanced approach to development and tourism, which gives a higher priority to fisheries and traditional fishing communities.
The team, from four nations, has been on an intensive study tour to St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Belize from 24 January to 4 February, 2009. They have met fishery and environment officials, fishers and their cooperatives, and non-governmental organisations and appreciate the generous assistance of all of them, especially the relevant Ministers in St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. They have made field visits in each country - to the Soufriere Marine Management Area in St Lucia, to the Bucco Reef Marine Park in Tobago, and to see marine protected areas near Caye Caulker and San Pedro in Belize (Hol Chan, etc.).
The study is part of a two year Commonwealth Fisheries Programme which will position the Commonwealth as a major player in reducing the depletion of marine fish resources, promoting sustainable management strategies, and supporting the long-term viability and sustainability of coastal fishing communities. Other findings of the study tour include:
- The need for increased monitoring and surveillance to implement fishing regulations, and the prevention of illegal fishing
- The urgent need to update legislation governing fishing and marine resources
- That there is a strong case for the Commonwealth to introduce a carefully designed Fisheries Fund to support initiatives in traditional fishing communities, and for donor countries to earmark support for small island states
- That mechanisms be devised to ensure the continued survival of the small-scale fishers
The Commonwealth Fisheries Programme is jointly managed by the Commonwealth Foundation, an intergovernmental body which supports civil society, the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit, a think-tank which is part of London University, and the Commonwealth Human Ecology Council, the Commonwealth's environmental NGO. It is funded by the Department for International Development, UK, and AusAid, the aid arm of the Australian Government.
The programme is preparing a report for Commonwealth leaders who meet in Trinidad in November 2009 and includes study tours, case study work, and meetings of civil society and presentations to Fisheries Ministers in Southern Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean. Progress reports will be given to London High Commissioners in June, 2009, and to Commonwealth officials at their FAO fisheries meeting in Rome next month.
Members of the Commonwealth Study Tour in the Caribbean
Belize
Celia Mahung, Executive Director, TIDE ( Toledo Institute for Development and the Environment )
Armando Ramirez, President, Southern Fishermen's Association
St Lucia
Sonia Cazaubon, Project Officer, Soufriere Marine Management Association
Laudiana Laurence, Ranger, Soufriere Marine Management Association
Trinidad and Tobago
Nerissa Lucky, Seafood Industry Development Company
Arthur Potts, Institute of Marine Affairs, University of Trinidad and Tobago
Study Tour Coordinators
Homera Cheema, Project Officer, Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit
Sandra Grant, Consultant in Fisheries Management, Belize
Study Tour Leader
Richard Bourne, Associate Fellow, Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit
-Ends-
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