Closing Remarks by Dr. Sandra Grant, Deputy Executive Director, Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM)

Good morning distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

On behalf of the CRFM I would like to thank all the speakers who shared remarks at this grand opening of the CRFM Scientific Conference:

• Secretary-General, Dr. Carla Barnett, CARICOM Secretariat

• Senator the Honourable Avinash Singh, Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries, Trinidad and Tobago and Chair of the CRFM Ministerial Council

• Mr. Milton Haughton, Executive Director, CRFM Secretariat

• Dr. Renata Clarke, Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

• Ms. Shandira Ankiah, (Ag.) Director of Fisheries, Fisheries Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, Trinidad and Tobago and Chair of the Caribbean Fisheries Forum

• Mr. Zojindra Arjune, Deputy Director, Fisheries Management, Suriname

We wish to specially thank the Executive Director, of the CRFM, whose idea it was for the CRFM to convene this Scientific Conference of regional and international experts and to produce a Special Scientific Publication as part of the CRFM’s 20th Anniversary Celebrations.

Special thanks to all government representatives, private sectors, researchers and academia, civil society organizations, fisherfolk and fish farmers organizations, and others. Particularly, to the 130 authors who submitted 59 Abstracts for presentation at this Scientific conference, as well as representatives of the CRFM Member States who have agreed to deliver National Reports on the Status of their Fisheries and Aquaculture sectors on Thursday, 31 August 2023.

Most of all, we are grateful for the Guiding Hands of God who bid His children to be good stewards of the fisheries of the sea.

We could not do all this without the support of the entire CRFM Secretariat technical and administrative team, who have been working tirelessly and diligently to organize and promote this Scientific Conference and other CRFM 20th Anniversary celebration events. 

To Studio A for producing the Anniversary Jingle. The media for covering this event. To all our stakeholders, Regional and international partners who are supporting this milestone initiative and who have been helping us to get the word out so others can take advantage of this rare opportunity.

We would like to thank all attendees for being here. You all have played an important part in making today's event not just a reality--but a success. Your participation at this the 2023 CRFM Scientific Conference (over these 4 days) will be extremely valuable. We appreciate and look forward to the presentations that will showcase our collective work over the decades. 

We will continue to work towards sustainable development of fisheries for the people of the Caribbean.

Caribbean fisheries, our treasure, our life.

Thank you.