The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) and the FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands (FAO SAP) in Samoa are collaborating to host the Pacific-Caribbean Nearshore FAD Fisher Exchange a 12-day study tour in three Caribbean countries.
Stakeholders from four Pacific territories Cook Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga and Samoa arrived in Barbados this weekend for the first leg of the tour, organised to facilitate the sharing of experiences among stakeholders from the Pacific and Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
The tour will also facilitate the development of best practices to support sustainable development of small-scale fisheries which rely on the use of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs).
We are very pleased to be able to host our visitors from the Pacific Islands and not only share our successes and knowledge regarding the use and management of FADs by our small-scale fishers to improve production of pelagic fishes, but also to learn from their experiences in the Pacific. This study tour is mutually beneficial to fisherfolk in the Caribbean and Pacific Islands, said CRFM’s Executive Director, Milton Haughton.
After Barbados, the team went to Grenada they visited fish markets and landing sites and met with members of fishing associations.
The final leg of their tour is Dominica, where they will, likewise, engage stakeholders in that country.
The tour is scheduled to conclude on May 30, and the information shared will be compiled to produce a publication detailing the characteristics and status of small-scale FAD fisheries in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
2013 Jamaica Observer