Regardless of the estimated large volume of unutilized and underutilized species of fish available in the region, the Caribbean Community is a net importer of fish and fish products, accounting for about 30 per cent of total regional demand, Executive Director of the Caribbean Re-gional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Secretariat, Hugh A. Saul, said on Tuesday.
The executive director of the CRFM Secretariat was addressing the opening ceremony at the Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown, for the multi-disciplinary three-day workshop on the finalization of an agreement on “A Common Fisheries Policy for the Caribbean Community.”
Saul pointed out, however, that “in both the regional and global markets, opportunities exist for national and regional expansion of the industry at the primary (fresh, chilled and frozen) and secondary (pro-cessed, salted, pickled, canned) levels,” according to a copy of his address released by the CARICOM Secreta-riat, Turkeyen.
Fishery resources, the CRFM Secretariat director noted, play a very important role in nutrition and food security in the Caribbean region, as it is a vital source of animal protein and minerals.
Fish consumption
He informed that the average per capita consumption of fish in the region is about 25kg per year, which is well above the world average while the per capita consumption of fish is approximately 57kg in Guyana, the highest in the region, followed by sister country Antigua and Barbuda.
In fact, he added, Guyana on average is amongst the highest consumers of fish in the world.
Saul noted too that approximately 182,000 persons are employed in the sector (directly and indirectly). And contribution of fisheries to GDP in CRFM member states varies from 0.13 per cent in Trinidad and Tobago to 6.85 per cent in Guyana.
The total annual production is estimated at 200,000 metric tonnes, which varies at the national level from 1,000 metric tonnes in the Turks and Caicos Islands to more than 60,000 metric tonnes in Guy-ana. Estimated annual value of production is between US$500 million and US$600 million.
Fish contributes about 9.9 per cent of the total share of dietary protein in the region, Saul stated, and this varies from 6 per cent in Trinidad and Tobago to 16 per cent in Grenada.
Meanwhile, Saul pointed out that “Notwithstanding the high cost of fish and fish products compared to other forms of animal protein, Caribbean people by their consumption pattern are telling us that by choice, fish is a preferred animal protein, and when we look at the industry from a regional perspective few others contribute to human and economic welfare as fisheries.”
Addressing the opening of the CRFM multi-disciplinary workshop also was acting Secretary-General, Ambassa-dor Lolita Applewhaite who observed that the draft CARICOM Fisheries Policy which will engage the attention of the three-day workshop has had a long gestation period “in order to provide opportunity for contributions from the major stakeholders.”
The acting Secretary-General noted too that the CARICOM Heads of Govern-ment at their Fourteenth and Fifteenth Inter-Sessional Meetings held in Trinidad and Tobago in 2003, and St. Kitts and Nevis in 2004, had mandated the CARICOM Secreta-riat to take steps to elaborate a “Common Fisheries Policy and Regime” for the region.
The importance of the fisheries sector in the overall drive for regional food security cannot be overestimated, she said, given “the fact that all of our member states are either island or coastal states with a dependency on marine resources.”
In the meantime, Ambassa-dor Applewhaite expressed delight that the workshop will complete the technical work so that the next step can be taken to “ensure that this policy is placed before the Heads of Government in the near future.”
Benefits
CARICOM member states will benefit from a common fisheries policy in several ways, Applewhaite said, as it will allow for structured collaboration in the conservation, management and use of their living marine and aquatic resources; an orderly and predictable approach to the terms for entry by Third States in the Common Fisheries Zone; and it will also present to CARICOM member states the opportunity to establish sub-regional arrangements for the management of fishing stocks of interest to them and which are not now subject to any management regime.
She pointed out too that it will enhance considerably the opportunities for social and economic benefits and provide a framework in which the economic interests and welfare of fisher-folk and fishing communities can be promoted and supported through coordinated policy interventions.
Finally, Applewhaite said, agreement on a common fisheries policy will enable the participating states to speak in international fora with a unified voice to greater benefit on matters relating to fisheries in this region.
