Turks and Caicos Fishers learn about FADS in Grenada

Fishers from the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) concluded an exchange in Grenada from March 16-19, where a delegation of six fishers, supported by two fisheries officers, gained first hand knowledge on the construction and deployment of fish aggregating devices (FADs).

FADs can be very effective in attracting fish in the open sea, thereby boosting production, exports, and economic impacts, a release from the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CFRM) states.

The Turks and Caicos Islands hopes to also reap these long-term benefits from the recent fisher exchange.

Grenada’s FAD technology has been modernized under the World Bank-funded project titled, Unleashing the Blue Economy of the Caribbean (UBEC), which commenced implementation in 2022. However, Grenada was also one of six Member States of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism which benefited from the mainstreaming of FAD fishing technology under the Japan-funded Caribbean Fisheries Co-management (CARIFICO) project, implemented between 2012-2017 in partnership with the CRFM. Since then, the CRFM said it has been facilitating knowledge transfer to other Member States, building upon this foundational work. It previously facilitated a similar exchange through which Grenada also shared its FAD expertise with Jamaica. This exchange, executed through the fisheries authorities in Grenada and TCI, was also facilitated by the CRFM.

Grenada’s Minister of Blue Economy and Marine Affairs, Lennox Andrews, said: “I see this as one very good example where, as a people, we can come together and work together to share our knowledge, share experiences, and create the competence and the human resources that we all need to develop our region”.

CRFM Deputy Executive Director, Dr. Sandra Grant, noted that this fisher exchange will provide TCI fishers with an initial understanding of FAD technology and an opportunity to reflect on how it can be applied in the Turks and Caicos Islands to provide year-round income generation for fishers.

The goal of the fisher exchange was to strengthen regional fisheries cooperation and support sustainable livelihoods, CFRM explains in its release. The visit of the TCI delegation to Grenada provided valuable hands-on exposure to Grenada’s well-established FAD fishery, allowing participants to observe operations, fishing techniques, and the harvesting of key pelagic species, including yellowfin tunas weighing over 100 pounds. Participants also took part in the construction of FADs, gaining practical, technical experience that will be directly applicable to TCI’s planned FAD pilot programme.