An interactive multi-agency discussion on the sustainable use of living marine resources and the vital role of aquatic foods (including fish and other seafood) in the post-COVID revitalization!

Event Type:

OFFSITE - SIDS4 Conference In-person Side Event outside the Conference venue (AUA)

Convener / Host:

Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Secretariat

Lead Organization:

Office of the Prime Minister (Government of Antigua and Barbuda)

Other Organizing Partners:

CARICOM Secretariat

National Fisheries Authority of Jamaica

Thematic Area:

Revitalizing SIDS Economies for accelerated and sustainable growth

Summary:

Caribbean SIDS are dependent upon fisheries for social and economic development, food and nutrition security, and the welfare of their peoples. Fish and seafood are important components of the diet of the Caribbean; yet despite efforts to increase production of fish and seafood, the Member States of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) and other countries in the wider Caribbean are still major importers of the commonly consumed fish and seafood. Furthermore, fish and other aquatic foods are generally considered in the context of natural resource, economic development, biodiversity conservation, and climate issues but rarely thought of as food and/or nutrition with consideration for nutritionally vulnerable people. The sustainable use of fish and other aquatic foods can play a critical role in alleviating hunger and malnutrition. Fish consumption can lower the risk of cardiovascular-related illnesses, serve as a micronutrient supplement for women and children in the first 1,000 days of life, enhance the nutritional quality of breastmilk and maternal and infant health outcomes, and support immune system function. Enhancing the role of fish and other aquatic foods in achieving food and nutrition security can lead to policy and investments that promote nutrition-sensitive and socially equitable aquatic foods in the Caribbean. Sustainable use refers to the responsible and careful use of the marine living resources, including fish, a variety of seaweeds, and other aquatic organisms, which are traditionally harvested in a manner that will ensure that they are available for present and future generations. It also encompasses the management of these resources in a way that will maintain their populations as well as the health and productivity of the ecosystems while avoiding overexploitation, depletion, and degradation. The sustainable use principle seeks to establish balance between the harvesting and use of the living marine resources to meet human and societal needs and benefits, to generate economic growth and development, and to provide food, nutrition and health benefits for people, with the need to ensure the long-term health and protection of biodiversity, the ecosystems, and the marine environment.

Purpose of the Seminar:

The purpose of this seminar was to engage in an interactive multi-agency discussion on the sustainable use of living marine resources and the vital role of aquatic foods (including fish and other seafood) in the post-COVID revitalization of the economics of SIDS, with a focus on Caribbean SIDS, and to highlight the value of the region’s natural aquatic resource base for improving the region’s food and nutrition security while helping to chart the course towards resilient prosperity by helping to reduce the region’s food import bill by 25% by 2025, in accordance with the CARICOM Heads of Government mandate of 2020.