St. Lucia is hosting the second regional workshop on the Strengthening Sustainable Use and Management of Coastal Fisheries Resources in the CARICOM Countries (COASTFISH) Project.
The Belize-based Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) said it is partnering with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and IC Net Ltd., to convene the two-day event that got underway on Tuesday.
It said the regional workshop will pave the way for the second phase of the project with the first phase having been completed and baseline surveys conducted for all six target countries – Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Kitts-Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The COASTFISH Project seeks to expand the incorporation and application of the ‘co-management’ concept to coastal fisheries management arrangements in these CRFM member states.
The project is being implemented in three phases and the organizers said the objectives of the second regional workshop include updating and sharing the information on the pilot activities in each country, including a comparison of baseline survey results of each country and clarification of the local fishers’ issues on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) or Marine Management Areas (MMAs).
The workshop is also intended to prepare each country for the implementation of pilot projects and develop a common understanding of partner roles and responsibilities, to introduce the good practice of co-management.
During the workshop, facilitators will compare the baseline survey results of each country and provide an overview of the characteristics of the fisherfolk at the target sites of each country. There will also be a discussion on how the pilot projects can contribute to the introduction of co-management and to help solve the problems of local fishers.
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