Food import dependency remains an economic and food security problem for the Caribbean region, which imports 60 to 80 percent of its food. The countries of the region have some of the highest obesity rates in the world, and around a third of their population lives in poverty. There is room and clear economic and social benefit for the development of a locally produced, accessible and nutritious food source, and aquaculture is capable of providing a clear and fruitful part of the solution.

Aquaculture offers a flexible method of using available aquatic and terrestrial resources to compensate for deficiencies in the capture of fish and unreliable or unsustainable imports. Based on the Caribbean's available aquatic resources, limited arable land, and worsening water scarcity problems, aquaculture represents a resilient approach to promoting food security and rural employment now and in the future.

Dominica and three other Caribbean countries are actively seeking to develop their aquaculture industries to improve the resilience of their fisheries and aquaculture sector. The Resilient Caribbean Initiative supports this effort.