(Trinidad Guardian) Caribbean fisherfolk are expected to benefit from a €1,032,099 grant from the European Union, via its Europe Aid programme. The monies were donated to The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (Canari) to improve the contribution of the small scale fisheries sector to food security and build the capacity of regional and national fisherfolk organisations. Among the countries expected to benefit from the four-year project are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti and Jamaica.
Montserrat, Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and the Turks and Caicos Islands are also expected to benefit. These countries are expected to strengthen the capacity for regional and national fisherfolk organisation networks by having them participate in fisheries governance and management.
A release said, “Building the capacity of the fisheries sector is critical to address the region’s growing concern with food and nutrition security. Since 2005, it has recorded food import bills of more than €3.5 billion (TT$3,500 million) and rising food prices have compounded this challenge.”
The project is being implemented by Canari, in partnership with the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (Cermes) of the UWI and Panos Caribbean in association with the Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Associations (CNFO) and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CFRM).
