BELIZE, Feb. 2013 — The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) has a new and improved Communication Strategy, incorporating international best practices, as well as a new eight-year Strategic Plan, both of which were finalized last week in St Vincent and the Grenadines, at meetings attended by key fisheries stakeholders.

The comprehensive strategy document was finalized at the ACP Fish 2/CRFM regional technical consultation held on January 28-29, at the Sunset Shore Beach Hotel in Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines, where the CRFM’s Eastern Caribbean Office is located.

“The notion of using ICT [information and communication technology] is not new to us,” said Milton Haughton, executive director, CRFM Secretariat, at the opening ceremony.

“Since the inception of the CRFM in 2003, we have been very interested in promoting the use of technology to improve our operations. Today, however, marks a significant milestone. We are stepping up our efforts to introduce and facilitate greater adoption and utilization of ICT to improve capacities in all areas of the work of the CRFM, including our member states and partner organizations.”

Haughton explained that the purpose of this first regional fisheries workshop for the year, was “to review and validate the CRFM Communication Strategy, which aims at strengthening the capacity of CRFM and its member states for information and knowledge sharing on sustainable management of fisheries in the region, primarily by increased adoption and use of cutting-edge information and communication technology in our daily activities.”

“What is clear is that the use of ICT will be an important catalyst for the transformational change and repositioning of the aquaculture and fisheries sector that we are seeking.”

The new strategy will make the CRFM more efficient at executing its mandates from the CRFM agreement and the Common Fisheries Policy, he said.

Among those attending the meetings were chief fisheries officers, directors of fisheries or senior fisheries officers, and technical ICT officers responsible for fisheries management, data management and communication from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.