June 11, 2024
After reading the FAO report on aquaculture and fisheries, I said to myself that it is easy for them to thumb their nose at the Caribbean and Central America for not exploiting their natural fisheries resources. But, then, upon true reflection, you have to put it in equal context.
For example, most Caribbean countries don’t even have over 10 30 ft fishing boats, let alone large shipping vessels that size up to 90 plus feet with all of the navigation tools and trapping equipment.
Most Caribbean countries would also need help with sustainable fishing techniques and technical assistance with managing our fisheries resources. This is not something that happens for free.
So, when you put that into the mix, you can’t just say that the Caribbean is not exploiting its fisheries resources. It is just not fair. We need to have financing for the tools and training to get more out of it.
But, I understand that with these reports, there is only so much that you can put into it. That’s fine. We have to be mindful of the constraints that Caribbean countries are under.