Marvin Daniel recalls the terrifying winds and torrential rains that destroyed lives and livelihoods when they lashed the Caribbean island of Dominica. Not once but twice.
“We were fighting for our lives. We were scrambling for cover,” Marvin recalls.
The 35-year-old experienced first-hand the devastation caused first by Tropical Storm Erika in 2015 and then Hurricane Maria in 2017. He was a manager at a luxury hotel when the second disaster claimed thousands of lives and caused widespread damage across the Caribbean. Sixty-five people died on Dominica alone.
“We thought we were finished,” he says. “Our resort was devastated.”
With his employment gone, Marvin turned his attention to aquaculture as FAO joined the Government of Dominica in its efforts to rejuvenate prawn production and make it a priority for country’s sustainable development.
Aquaculture had once been an important part of Dominica’s economy and local giant river prawns are highly valued there. However, the tiny nation’s aquaculture sector had diminished over the years as the government shifted its attention to other industries.
Marvin had always wanted to start his own business. Now he and other farmers were grateful for the joint project which involved the rehabilitation of the government’s hatchery and the enhancement of aquaculture research. Concrete walls were installed around the structure and hurricane roof ties were added to the rafters.
“The island’s small aquaculture sector was devastated by the disasters and this project has tried to rehabilitate the hatchery and make it climate resilient so it can withstand future impacts,” says Iris Monnereau, FAO’s Regional Project Coordinator of the Climate Change Adaptation of the Eastern Caribbean Fisheries (CC4FISH) project.
