Fisherfolk leaders urged to voice fisheries policy recommendations

Fisherfolk from around the region who attended a workshop held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines this week should now have a more thorough knowledge of fisheries initiatives taking place in the Caribbean.{{more}}

The Regional Workshop of Fisherfolk Organizations, which began on January 13th and ended yesterday, 15th January, 2009, saw participation from members of the Regional Fisherfolk Organization (RFO-CU) and other fisherfolk leaders from primary and national fisherfolk organizations.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chief Fisheries Officer Raymond Ryan noted that small islands of the Caribbean are heavily dependent on Fisheries for their survival, as well as economic development. He further stated that the government is supporting the efforts of the CRFM to advance fisheries development in St.Vincent and the Grenadines.

The objectives of the workshop, which was organized by the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), in collaboration with several other regional organizations, was held to provide fisherfolk leaders with the information regarding fisheries initiatives in the region and to encourage their participation in advancing fisheries policy recommendations. The workshop also hopes to review the activities done by of the RFO-CU in the last year and to develop a communication strategy plan for the RFO-CU.

Regional organizations collaborating with the CRFM in this venture are The Commonwealth Foundation, CANARI (Caribbean Natural Resource Institute) and UWI-CERMES (University of the West Indies Centre for Research Management and Environmental Studies. (OS)