CRFM holds workshop aiming to modernize fishing sector

Delegates from the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) yesterday began a workshop aimed at exchanging information on communication strategies and modernizing the fishing sector.{{more}}

The two-day workshop also brought regional professionals to share knowledge on sustainable management of fisheries in the region, Chief Fisheries Officer Jennifer Cruickshank said.

Participants will explore IT opportunities for the CRFM Secretariat to improve service delivery to member states and to better execute the mandates from the CRFM agreement and the Common Fisheries Policy.

They will also review the current situation facing information exchange in the region, changes required on the website, as well as the capacity-building requirements.

The event, which is funded by the European Union through the ACP Fish II Programme, is geared at producing an improved communication strategy for the CRFM in line with international best practices.

It is being facilitated by the CRFM Secretariat and PBLH International Consulting Experts.

A first workshop supported by the project was held in Belize as a side meeting of the gathering of ministers from Central America and the Caribbean (CRFM and OSPESCA – the Organization of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector of Central America) on September 3 to 4,  2012.

In that workshop, members of the FAO performance review team met with key stakeholders, sought their opinion on the review methodology and collected information.

Last June, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) approved a small Technical Cooperation Programme facility project of US$99,000 in response to a request from the CRFM for assistance in conducting a performance review and formulating the new strategic plan.

The St Vincent workshop is the third meeting under the project.

“After our deliberation and further exchange of information the expected outcomes are for the key stakeholders to collaborate on the revision and validation of the CRFM strategy in line with international best practices,” Cruickshank further explained.

The programme acts as a support system for regional fisheries bodies, John Purvis, ACP Fish II Fisheries Policy Expert, said.

“The opportunities for wider communication are better than before and they share the tools — it is only right that we take the time to assess those tools,” he said.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Raymond Ryan spoke of the government of St Vincent and the Grenadines’ strategy to focus on a commercially viable fishing industry, which included a number of activities that already been implemented in order to boost production.

All these measures could not have been properly implemented without proper communication.

He added that communication was a key component in the fisheries sector.

“Fishing industry stakeholders must lift their game,” Ryan said.

This held particularly true if we in the region were to compete against international companies worldwide.

Regarding quality and quantity, he said that it was necessary to invest in new equipment for harvesting, storing and producing.

“Stakeholders need to take a more business oriented approach and ICT will play an important role in modernizing the business,” he said. (DD)