The workshop participants noted the results of the many previous attempts to develop aquaculture in the subregion. They also identified the following steps that should be taken to facilitate the development of sustainable aquaculture in the SIDS of the Lesser Antilles:
Incorporate aquaculture into national development plans and strategies;
Formalizing an aquaculture development policy (including environment and fiscal incentives);
Legal framework development; Establish small-scale pilot projects for technology transfer and its evaluation;
Economic feasibility studies and marketing analysis for aquaculture proposals;
Allocate resources (government commitment) for aquaculture;
Strengthen aquaculture related institutions (including monitoring and regulatory systems, capacity building, research);
Appropriate technology (development & dissemination);
Identify reliable sources of inputs and create access to inputs (broodstock, feed, fingerlings, equipment);
Establishing administrative procedures for smooth Evaluation and Approval of projects;
Code(s) of Best Practice development (under private-public partnerships); and
Attract private sector involvement/investment.
The participants recommended that the steps should be prioritized taken in the order suiting the stage of development of aquaculture in a particular subregional country.
They also recommended that a concerted effort should be made to raise the awareness of the opportunities for sustainable aquaculture development among potential aquaculture stakeholders, decision-makers and natural resources managers in the Lesser Antilles.
It was suggested that an immediate follow-up activity to the workshop could take the form of a Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) project proposal based on the common priority-needs communicated to the workshop secretariat by the countries that participated.
