Caribbean Fisheries Experts to Attend SIDS Workshop 

3 October 2018 Bridgetown, Barbados

FAO, in collaboration with the government of Barbados, will lead a new three-day workshop that will focus on helping Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) improve their fish export and trade industry.

The training will encourage participants to consider changes in the seascape of fish trade, fisheries management and governance issues. Additionally, the workshop will promote a dialogue for authorities from about ten countries attending, to have a clear vision of the value of fish trade, the barriers to effective fish trade and opportunities to overcome such issues.

Keynote speakers who will address the opening of the workshop on 3 October are: 

• Dr. Lystra Fletcher-Paul, FAO Subregional Coordinator for the Caribbean
• Mr. Stephen Willoughby, Chief Fisheries Officer for the Barbados Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy
  

It is one of three SIDS regional workshops worldwide (held in the Atlantic/Indian Ocean; the Pacific Ocean; and now, the Caribbean) organized by FAO in coordination with regional organizations. For the Caribbean training, partner agencies include the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), the Organization for Fisheries and Aquaculture for Central America (OSPESCA), the Western Central Atlantic Fisheries Commission (WECAFC) and the Centre for Marketing Information and Advisory Services for Fishery Products in Latin America and the Caribbean (INFOPESCA). The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade for Barbados also played coordinating roles.

“The export and trade of fisheries products represent an important source of national income, food security and job creation in Caribbean SIDS. While there are limitations on increasing production, there is still potential in the region to trade more effectively, enter new markets, and increase value by consolidating and increasing delivery of higher value products,” said Dr. Yvette Diei Ouadi, Fisheries Officer at the FAO Subregional Office for the Caribbean.

Event details:

Time and venue: October 3rd from 9 am until 5 pm at the United Nations in Bridgetown, Barbados.

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Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a group of countries that share similar sustainable development challenges, including small populations, limited resources, susceptibility to natural disasters, vulnerability to external shocks and excessive dependence on international trade.