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CARICOM region. Member
countries participating in the programme are Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas,
Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint
Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad
and Tobago.
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Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA), in partnership with CARICOM Secretariat.
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The CARICOM
Fisheries Resource Assessment and Management Programme (CFRAMP), which
started in 1991, included the provision for the establishment of a successor
regional organization for fisheries management. The programme was a
response to the fact that CARICOM states lacked two of the key requirements
for fisheries management: 1) a scientific assessment of the fish stocks
available within their EEZs; and 2) fisheries divisions properly equipped
for the effective management of these zones. The goal of the programme
is to promote the management of CARICOM countries’ fisheries resources
on a sustainable basis. The purpose of the programme is to provide the
CARICOM region with basic resource information and institutional capacity
needed to manage and develop its fisheries resources.
The programme’s activities covered the following major components:
• CFRAMP Management and field support. This covered the operations
of a CARICOM Fisheries Unit (CFU) in Belize and three Resource Assessment
Units (RAUs) located in Belize, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and
in Trinidad and Tobago;
• Fisheries Management Data Systems for the establishment of fisheries
management data systems in the CARICOM member states. These systems
consisted of two elements: 1) catch and effort data; and 2) licensing
and registration;
• Fisheries Resource Assessments. This component provided the information
on the state of the stocks of the exploited species based on the work
done by the RAUs. Assessments covered the large (tuna) and small pelagics
(flying fish), groundfish and reef resources, including lobster and
conch;
• Strengthening of Regional Fisheries Management. This component
dealt with the strengthening of national fisheries Caribbean Island
Countriesmanagement units, the supporting of fishers and community
involvement, the provision of education and long-term training, and
the establishment of a Regional Fisheries Management Mechanism (RFM);
• Programme Management and Support. This component dealt with the
Canadian Executing Agency’s (CEA) responsibilities, which Administered
the funds and provided technical assistance to fisheries management
programmes in CARICOM countries, to provide information on fishery resources,
and to assist in the establishment of a RFM.
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• Coastal and marine
resources (Chapter IV of the Barbados
Programme of Action)
• National institutions and administrative capacity (Chapter X
of the BPoA)
• Regional institutions and technical cooperation (Chapter XI
of the BPoA)
• Human resource development (Chapter XIV of the BPoA)
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CFRAMP attained most of
its objectives. The programme contributed
significantly to the improvement of fisheries management capacity in
the CARICOM region; it provided improved knowledge of the state of stocks
in the region; it demon-strated the need for and feasibility of a RFM;
and it supported work on the structure and responsibilities of a RFM
as a successor mechanism to CFRAMP.
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• Institutional strengthening
and intra-regional scientific net-working is crucial to fisheries management
and development;
• There is a need in future programme designs for a reduction in
the reporting load of a programme and for greater leadershipand ownership
of programme activities by the recipient institutions;
• The programme demonstrated how a RFM could operate in the region
and how it could bring benefits in terms of costs and effectiveness;
• Political commitment and increased financial support from recipients
in addition to greater flexibility and adaptability from the donor agency
are crucial to the success of the project.
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Mr. Lennox Hinds
Senior Oceans and Marine Affairs and
Fisheries Advisor Policy Branch, CIDA
200 Promenade du Portage
Hull, Quebec
Canada K1A 0G4
Tel.: (819) 997-0483
Fax: (819) 953-3348
E-mail: lennox_hinds@acdi-cida.gc.ca
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