Laventille (CANARI) 18 February 2013 – The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) recently received a €1,032,099 grant from the European Union, via its EuropeAid programme, to improve the contribution of the small scale fisheries sector to food security in the Caribbean. This will be achieved through building the capacity of regional and national fisherfolk organisation networks to participate in fisheries governance and management.

The four-year project covers fisherfolk working across the Caribbean, including in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Building the capacity of the fisheries sector is critical to address the region’s growing concern with food and nutrition security. Since 2005, the Caribbean has recorded food import bills of more than €3.5 billion and rising food prices have compounded this challenge.

The fisheries sector in the CARICOM/CARIFORUM region employs over 182,000 persons, directly or indirectly. These are mostly small-scale fisherfolk from rural communities who lack other income earning opportunities. The fisheries sector is therefore especially important to these rural communities which usually exhibit a higher percentage of poverty than the national average.

Involving small-scale fisherfolk in fisheries management and governance is critical to ensure that fishing methods are sustainable, fisheries livelihoods are protected, and food security and nutrition are improved.

There are, however, only limited opportunities offered by current regional and national fisheries governance arrangements for fisherfolk to participate in policy debates, processes and decision-making. Fisherfolk organisations have limited capacity to articulate members’ interests and positions on fisheries policy and food and nutrition security issues and there is inadequate networking among Caribbean fisherfolk at the regional and national levels to build an effective voice on fisheries issues.

As decision-makers in the Caribbean are experimenting with participatory models to improve the governance of the fisheries sector, this project will assist by building the capacity of fisherfolk and their networks to be strong partners in the process.

The specific objectives of the project are to:
1. Strengthen the regional Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Organisations (CNFO) and its network of national fisherfolk organisations in Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) countries/territories.
2. Build capacity of regional and national networks of fisherfolk organisations and their individual members to participate in Caribbean fisheries governance and management at the national and regional levels.
3. Enhance communication within and among networks of fisherfolk organisations for exchange of information, collaboration, and development of consensus on policy for the governance of Caribbean fisheries in relation to food security.
4. Improve the effectiveness and equity of participation of fisherfolk in decision-making processes in governance of Caribbean fisheries in relation to food security.

The project is being implemented by CANARI, in partnership with the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) of the University of the West Indies and Panos Caribbean in association with the Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Associations (CNFO) and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CFRM).

About CANARI
The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) is a regional technical non-profit organisation which has been working in the islands of the Caribbean for more than 20 years. Our mission is “Promoting and facilitating equitable participation and effective collaboration in the management of natural resources critical to development in the Caribbean islands, so that people will have a better quality of life and natural resources will be conserved, through action learning and research, capacity building, communication and fostering partnerships.”

For further information, please contact:
Nicole Leotaud, Executive Director, Caribbean Natural Resources Institute at nicole@canari.org

About the EU
This project is funded by the European Union EuropeAid programme, managed by the Delegation of the European Union to Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and for the Dutch Overseas Countries and Territories. The European Union is made up of 27 Member States who have decided to gradually link together their know-how, resources and destinies. Together, during a period of enlargement of 50 years, they have built a zone of stability, democracy and sustainable development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance and individual freedoms. The European Union is committed to sharing its achievements and its values with countries and peoples beyond its borders.