Our Vision
Improving the quality of life of Fisherfolk by developing a sustainable and profitable industry.
Social Media
Keep up to date by following us on social media!
We are inviting all Caribbean fisherfolk who are leaders in their fisherfolk organisations or have high interest in leadership roles to register for the next virtual training.
Meet Devon Warner. He is the head of the Barbuda Fisherfolk Association and was elected Barbuda Councilman in December 2019.
Mr Warner has been involved in the fishing industry for over 30 years and has been instrumental in raising public awareness to issues affecting the sector. He is a strong advocate for building climate resilience after experiencing the devastating impacts of Hurricane Irma. He believes that this can be achieved by diversifying livelihoods and exploring alternative fisheries.
His passion for sustainably re-energizing the sector is evident in his speeches and actions at the local level. #Barbuda #antigua #fridayfisher #eafstrikeabalance
The Regional Symposium on ‘Marine Ecosystem-Based Management in the Caribbean: an essential component of Principled Ocean Governance’ was held at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados, 10-12 December 2008.
Participants from throughout the region and beyond from a diversity of occupational backgrounds came together in a facilitated process to explore principles, a vision and strategic directions for Marine Ecosystem-Based Management in the Caribbean.
Did you attend this event? Let us know about your experience in the comments below. #symposium #throwbackthursday #Ecosystembasedmanagement #Caribbean
Meet Lorna Warner. CNFO board member representing St. Kitts and Nevis from 2016 to present and President of the National Fisherfolk Orgainsation. She is also a member of the Dieppe Bay Fisherman’s Cooperative, the village in which she resides. Lorna has been involved in the fishing Industry for many years. She started working at the Basseterre Fisheries Complex in St. Kitts in 2004 as Supervisor. Some of her duties include receiving fish, processing and preparing fish for sale. Her area of expertise is filleting fish. During her time at the complex, Ms. Warner has attended numerous training workshops that equip and qualifies her to execute her duties at her workplace. Lorna is passionate about her work and would like to see more women being open to and involved in the fishing industry in St. Kitts and Nevis.
#WednesdayWoman #StKittsandNevis #SSFGender #EAFStrikeABalance
Just as we have the power to harm the ocean, we have the power to put in place policies and modify our own behavior in ways that would be an insurance policy for the future of the sea, for the creatures there, and for us, protecting special critical areas in the ocean. -Sylvia Earle
Meet Mitchell Lay. CNFO's Programme Coordinator, Fisher and Advocate. He has been fishing commercially from 1988. Mitch is involved in fisherfolk organisations in Antigua and Barbuda and regional fishers' initiatives, including CNFO and the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI).
He participates in fisheries-related meetings and workshops throughout the Caribbean region and is an advocate for sustainable utilization and responsible stewardship in relation to marine resources. #fridayfisher #antigua #eafstrikeabalance
StewardFish and SSF Gender are happy to share with you initial communications as part of the projects gender awareness outreach. The main objectives of these gender communications are to raise awareness of concepts related to gender in fisheries; highlight the value of successful practices, bringing attention to the importance of gender in fisheries along the value chain; and to encourage fisherfolk, fisheries authorities, policy makers and policy champions etc. to be more receptive to gender training and mainstreaming in SSF Gender and StewardFish project activities.
Let's start talking about gender in fisheries!
"Meet Vernel Nicholls. President of the Barbados National Union of Fisherfolk Organisations (BARNUFO). Vernel has been working in the fishing Industry for the past thirty (30) years. Fresh out of school and unemployed, she was introduced to the industry by a family member.
Vernel began her experience as a novice fish cleaner and later learnt the art of boning flying fish. As president of a primary fisherfolk organisation, she recognized that there was a need for a more structured and organised fishing industry. This led to her involvement in activities related to the development of the industry including her participation in capacity building initiatives and serving as the CNFO Chair. #WednesdayWoman #Barbados #SSFGender #EAFStrikeABalance
The EAF Toolbox (bit.ly/EAFToolbox) has been designed to guide users through each of the four main EAF management planning steps and activities using simplified text and clear instructions.
The toolbox also helps users decide which tool(s) could be most appropriate for each step given the type of fishery, their resources and capacity. Have you used this toolbox in your work? Tell us about your experience in the comments below. #eaftoolbox #eafstrikeabalance
Introducing our Friday Fisher Feature! Every week we'll highlight fishers who are promoting EAF and sustainable fishing practices.
Meet Adrian LaRoda. He is CNFO's Acting Chair and the President of Bahamas Commercial Fishers Alliance (BCFA). Adrian is a strong advocate for sustainable fishing and promotes EAF in his country. Most recently, he has been lobbying to have the sector declared an essential service during the pandemic to allow direct sales to the public instead of fish houses. Selling to the fish houses in these times will put fishers at a disadvantage in terms of maximum revenue.
Strong advocates like Adrian are needed to promote ecosystem stewardship and support sustainable livelihoods. #fridayfisher #bahamas #eafstrikeabalance
We're pleased to introduce you to our Wednesday Woman feature! Women’s participation is integral to successful fisheries management. However, their role is often overlooked or diminished. Our intention is to highlight a virtuous woman diligently working to promote sustainable fisheries every Wednesday for the next three months.
Meet Anna Ramirez. She has been fishing from the tender age of 7 with her family off the Southern coast of Belize. Anna is married to a fisherman and they have passed on their skills and knowledge to their children who are also involved in the industry.
She no longer routinely fishes, but is now a fish vendor at the Punta Gorda Market in Toledo, selling fish that her children harvest. Anna continues to urge young people especially women to learn the trade, encouraging them to fish sustainably. Photo credit: Tony Rath. #WednesdayWoman #Belize #Fisherlady #EAFStrikeABalance
Comments coming from the view of a small-scale fisher on the implementation on the Convention on the Biological Diversity (CBD) over the past 10 years. Listen to Mr. Mitchell Lay, Program Coordinator of CNFO and a fisher of Antigua and Barbuda.
In our view the convention has been implemented in a very biased way, and that is biased against towards conservation objectives…We see the tools that are promoted and the initiatives that are taken are mainly directed towards conservation. This negatively impacts small-scale fishing communities, particularly in coastal areas where marine protected areas (MPA) have been put in place in line with the convention objectives. These MPA first prohibits access of SSF to the resources that they depend on for livelihoods, food and other societal benefits. Second, they prohibit fishers from being able to sustainably utilize resources that exist in those areas which could be sustainably harvested, resources that have no biological threats in terms of extinction or anything like that. So, in a move to implement the convention we created areas that work against the objective of the convention. For example, some MPAs prohibit fishing activity but promote coastal activities and some of these coastal activities negatively impact the marine space and the ecosystem with sedimentation and pollution etc.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq8TKUTCXNU&t=41s
This video simplifies the concept of EAF in a fun way. It sums up what we've been explaining over the last few weeks. Ocean life doesn't live in a bubble. We need to strike a balance so that societal objectives can be met. What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below ⬇⬇⬇
What Is Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management? | A Cartoon Crash Course
www.youtube.com
Ocean life doesn’t live in a bubble—if you want to take care of one fish species, you also have to preserve where it lives and understand the other animals i...EAF Principle #17: Last but certainly not least, principle # 17- Equity.
This implies that similar options are available to all parties, a principle of stewardship by governments and the community. EAF promotes equity in all its forms: intergenerational, intragenerational, cross-sectoral, cross-boundary and cross-cultural, with special attention given to rights of minorities.
The Gender in Fisheries Team (GIFT) led by UWI-CERMES has the main objective of facilitating and supporting the implementation of the SSF guidelines with special focus on gender equality.
The SSF Gender project is a relatively new initiative that aims to provide more in-depth knowledge of gender in fisheries to inform the implementation of the SSF Guidelines, the CCCFP SSF Protocol, and to support FAO's Blue Growth initiative in various projects.
Read more here: bit.ly/SSFGender Tell us your interpretation of the different forms of equity in the comments below. #equity #eafprinciples #eafstrikeabalance #genderequality #ssfgender