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Tuesday, 11 August 2015 12:46

SPS Fact Sheet #2

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Jul 30, (CRFM) – The Caribbean region's ability to cash in on a potentially lucrative, international export trade in fish and seafood is being held back by huge gaps in measures to protect food safety and animal health, experts say.

But the experts, who are investigating food handling policies in CARIFORUM countries, are set to propose a new regime for sanitary and phytosanitary – SPS – measures in CARIFORUM states.

Since starting their work in April, Jamaican SPS expert Dr. George Grant, international legal consultant Chris Hedley of the United Kingdom and experts from the renown Icelandic food safety agency, Matis Ltd., have discovered that in most instances compliance with globally established standards are voluntary – a worrisome development they say that stops member states from tapping into
niche markets overseas and boosting foreign exchange earnings.

There are also either no legally binding protocols managing food safety throughout the region or where they are practised they are disorganised and informal, say the experts.

"It's the prerogative of the government, or the official, competent authority to develop a system whereby the food safety measures can be validated, inspected and can be regulated," Dr Grant says.

In two months of national consultations on SPS measures sponsored by the European Union in a number of CARIFORUM nations, Dr. Grant said there are no documented and transparent protocols for ensuring safe food handling and monitoring food processes.

Several Caribbean nations are yet to include these standards in their national regulatory system, something that has long been mandatory in many of the developed nations to which regional fisheries and food industries might seek to export.

But the CRFM supported by a team of Seafood safety experts, veterinary expert and lawyer is developing a region-wide set of food safety and environmental safeguards which they hope to unveil for adoption in late August.

"The set of protocols we are developing is to have them formally presented and documented so that countries can use them as guides to developing their own particular protocols and practices," Dr. Grant says.

As they travelled through Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states and the Dominican Republic which make up the CARIFORUM group of nations, the team assessed benchmarks for food safety in individual countries.

The news of the progress towards SPS compliance is encouraging. The experts note that most fish processors have implemented the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) standard for fish and fish product exports.

But as the Caribbean fishing industry and food makers seek to take advantage of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) to gain access to markets in European Union, there is an extra layer of requirements based on official controls.

The EU is requiring that exporting nations put enforceable legislation in place in each country to govern the SPS standards.

Through an EU-funded project, implemented by the CRFM and Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA), the team is hoping to establish a uniformed set of procedures across the industry.

"The question of where to draw the level in terms of how strictly you regulate food
safety is really very much a national policy decision," Hedley says.

He cautioned that the process can be complicated, costly and potentially counter- productive: "We don't want to over-regulate and sort of crack a nut with a sledgehammer, if there are not substantial food safety problems.

"The more you regulate food safety and the stricter and more you demand in terms of that side of regulation, the more expensive products become, the less people are able to meet those requirements and they may be forced out of the business."

The aim, the legal expert says, is to step up protection measures, level the playing field, manage the risks involved in food protection and facilitate trade across the Caribbean and internationally.

"There is no end point to that, it's not like there is a single target we're going to aim for and then that's it - we can rest on our laurels. New challenges [are] arising all the time. It is a continual process of improvement," Hedley adds.

Yet, compliance is critical to the effectiveness of the new standards.

"[The EU] want to make sure that the legislation is properly in place in the country, that these requirements are not just voluntary but with specific legal requirements to implement these food safety procedures and that there are penalties in terms of not complying with them. So the businesses that don't comply with them can be taken out of the licensing process."

SPS legislation will need to be backed up by a system of government checks, controls and monitoring systems, says the SPS legal expert.

As the two-man legal team sifted through the paperwork – or lack of it – among Caribbean fisheries processors and exporters, another team of environmental monitors has been travelling the region, inspecting processing plants, cold storage facilities, testing laboratories and aquaculture facilities.

But the experts are anxious that the drive towards SPS compliance is not seen solely as jumping necessary hoops in the export trade. Hedley suggests that even if the region becomes compliant there is still no guarantee there would be an appetite for their goods in the EU. For Grant, another, often overlooked beneficiary is the Caribbean consumer who can rely more safely on wholesome food from the sea.

Fisheries managers, officials, scientists are expected to meet in Barbados on August
24 and 25 to pore over technical documents the SPS experts will produce, and their recommendations.

Hedley describes it as tool kit or resource paper which can be taken forward.

"This is a technical assistance project providing technical documents; actually they have to be developed in the real world politics and law and national sovereignty and go through the proper processes at the national levels and at the regional levels."

 

Published in Press release

 

ST. GEORGE’S DECLARATION ON CONSERVATION, MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF THE CARIBBEAN SPINY LOBSTER (PANULIRUS ARGUS)

15 May 2015

 

Published in Documents

 

St. George’s, Grenada, 13 May 2015 (CRFM): Fisheries Ministers from Member States of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) are expected to sign off on the Declaration on Spiny Lobster by way of a resolution, when they convene the 9th Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the CRFM on Friday, 15 May 2015 at Flamboyant Hotel in St. George's, Grenada.

The non-binding declaration establishes a roadmap for closer cooperation among the 17 CARICOM/CRFM States to ensure long-term conservation and sustainable use of the lobster resources.

The Ministerial Council meeting is scheduled to open at 9:00 a.m. The feature address will be delivered by Honourable Roland Bhola, Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Grenada, who will assume the chairmanship of the Council on the occasion of the meeting from Honourable Johnson Drigo, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dominica.

Milton Haughton, Executive Director of the CRFM Secretariat in Belize, said: “This is another important policy-level meeting of the CRFM Member States as they seek to strengthen cooperative arrangements, to realize the full development potential of the fisheries and aquaculture sector in the region.

“Our vision and long-term goal is to transform the region’s fisheries and aquaculture into sustainable systems, in order to optimize the sector’s contribution to food and nutritional security, improved livelihoods and wealth generation, through the application of science and technology, good governance, and inclusive, sustainable development strategies.”

When they meet this Friday, the Caribbean Fisheries Ministers will be reviewing the progress being made in the implementation of existing policy instruments and programs. In charting the way forward, they will also make decisions on the next steps in the transformation process.

High on their agenda will be the endorsement of the process now underway to develop the Plan of Action to facilitate the implementation of the Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy (CCCFP).

The Fisheries Ministers will also discuss an initiative recently announced by the Government of the United States during the Caribbean Energy Summit on climate risk insurance for the Caribbean fisheries sector. This is in line with efforts to achieve Climate Smart Food Security (CSFS) using a Risk Insurance Facility (RIF).

The Ministerial Council will finally receive a full report on the outcome and recommendations of the 13th Meeting of the Caribbean Fisheries Forum, held in St. George’s, Grenada at the end of March this year.

The Ministerial Council of the CRFM is the arm of the CRFM which has primary responsibility for determining the policies of the organisation, resource allocation, cooperative agreements, and related decision-making.

 

Published in Press release
Friday, 13 February 2015 16:04

Preliminary List of Meetings 2015

 

No.

DATE (2015)

EVENT

LOCATION

1.

14 Jan

Meeting of the Secretary-General, Ambassador / Change Drivers and Heads of Community Institutions to Consider the Implementation Plan for Community Strategic Plan

Georgetown, Guyana

2.

20 - 23 Jan

Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond area of national jurisdiction

UN HQ, New York

3.

21 Jan

CARICOM-Japan Friendship Year: JICA Seminar

Kingston, Jamaica

4.

2 – 3 Feb (Officials)

5 – 6 Feb (Ministerial)

53rd Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) – Environment and Sustainable

Georgetown, Guyana

5.

2 Feb - 20 Mar

Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf -37th Session

UN HQ, New York

6.

5 – 6 Feb

Meeting of the Senior Maritime Administrators of the Caribbean in 2015

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

7.

10 – 12 Feb

Caribbean Water Information Generator Second and Final Stakeholder Consultation Workshop

Bridgetown, Barbados

8.

16 - 20 Feb

Meeting of the ICCAT Working Group on Stock Assessment Methods

Miami, USA

9.

19 – 20 Feb

24th Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Caribbean Fisheries Forum

Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

10.

23 - 24 Feb

Caribbean Green Economy Conference 2015 which will be held from 23 to 24 February 2015 in Kingston, Jamaica

Kingston, Jamaica

11.

23-27 Feb

Meeting of the Global Record Informal Open-Ended Technical and Advisory Working Group

FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy

12.

23 - 27 Feb

Inter-sessional Meeting of the Panel 2/10th Meeting of the IMM Working Group

Madrid, Spain

13.

25 - 26 Feb

Regional Consultation to formulate a Plan of Action for Invasive Species for the OECS

Rodney Bay, St. Lucia

14.

5 March

CARICOM Thematic Group - Agricultural Health and Food Safety Systems (AHFSS)

Suriname

15.

6 March

Agriculture Food and Nutrition Cluster Meeting

Electronic

16.

10 - 13 Mar

Strategy Meeting for Action on Blue Growth and Food Security

St. George’s, Grenada

17

11-13

CRFM/ UF SG Meeting & Presentation on CRFM to Faculty and Staff

Florida

18.

16 - 17 Mar

11th Round of Informal consultations of States Parties to the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement

UN HQ, New York

19.

16-18 Mar

Expert Group Meeting on Enhancing the Science-Policy Interface in SIDS

St. Lucia

20.

17-18 Mar

7th Caribbean International Food Safety and Security Conference

Montego Bay, Jamaica

21.

17 - 19 Mar

FAO/WECAFC Logical Framework/Project Design Workshop pf Project “Climate Change Adaptation in the Eastern Caribbean Fisheries Sector”

Bridgetown, Barbados

22.

23 - 27 Mar

Blue Shark Data Preparatory Meeting

Madrid, Spain

23.

30 Mar – 31 Mar

13th Meeting of the Caribbean Fisheries Forum

St. George’s, Grenada

24.

2 April

Delivery of ITLOS Advisory opinion in Case 21 on IUU Fishing

Hamburg, Germany

25.

6-10 April

16th Meeting of the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultive Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea

UN HQ, New York

 26.

9 or 10 April

SPS TAC Meeting (Electronic)

Virtual

27.

April

WECAFC/CRFM/IFREMER Working Group on Shrimp and Groundfish -1st Regional shrimp and groundfish fisheries management investment planning workshop (Suriname, April 2015, dates TBD) –IDB supported.

Paramaribo, Suriname

28.

TBD

FAO/WECAFC Inception workshop project "Sustainable management of bycatch in Latin America and Caribbean trawl fisheries ” – GEF IW supported

TBD

29.

April

WECAFC/CRFM/OSPESCA/CFMC Working Group on Recreational Fisheries – 2nd meeting on billfish management and conservation planning + WECAFC/FAO Project inception workshop of the Caribbean Billfish project   (component of the Ocean Partnerships For Sustainable Fisheries And Biodiversity Conservation – Models For Innovation And Reform), –World Bank supported.

Barbados or Miami

30.

24-27 April

Fisheries Legal Component - EU-sponsored Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Programme in the CARIFORUM Region - in-country legal mission

The Bahamas

31.

27 Apr - 1 May

Group of Experts of the Regular Process for global reporting and assessment of the state of marine environment, including socioeconomic aspects

UN HQ, New York

32.

29 April - 1 May

Fisheries Legal Component - EU-sponsored Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Programme in the CARIFORUM Region - in-country legal mission

Jamaica

33.

4-5 May

Fisheries Legal Component - EU-sponsored Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Programme in the CARIFORUM Region - in-country legal mission

Jamaica

34.

4 - 8 May

Bigeye Data Preparatory Meeting

Madrid, Spain

35.

7-9 May

Fisheries Legal Component - EU-sponsored Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Programme in the CARIFORUM Region - in-country legal mission

Haiti

36.

11 - 12 May

1st Meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on FADs

Madrid, Spain

37.

11-13 May

Fisheries Legal Component - EU-sponsored Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Programme in the CARIFORUM Region - in-country legal mission

Dominican Republic

38.

13-15 May

CARPHA/ PAHO/ IICA Regional Foodborne Diseases Surveillance and Food Safety Workshop

Trinidad & Tobago

39.

15 May

9th Meeting of the CRFM Ministerial Council

St. George’s, Grenada

40.

18 - 22 May

Convention Amendment Working Group, COM

Miami, USA

41.

20 May - 17 Jul

Training Programme on Ocean Governance: Policy, Law and Management

Nova Scotia, Canada

42.

28-29 May

Final Meeting of E15 Expert Group on Fisheries Oceans and trade System

Geneva

43.

31 May- 4 June

Field Mission under the SPS Environmental Consultancy

Guyana

44.

2 June

First CARICOM-Indian Joint Commission

Georgetown, Guyana

45.

8 June

World Oceans Day

 

46.

3-6 June

CARICOMP-2 Meeting

Miami

47.

7-11 June

Field Mission under the SPS Environmental Consultancy

Greneda

48.

8 - 12 June

Sub-Committee On Ecosystems Intersessional Meeting

Madrid, Spain

49.

9-11 June

ITLOS Case 21 Follow-up Workshop

Dakar, Senegal

50.

8 - 12 June

25th Meeting of States Parties to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

UN HQ, New York

51.

10 - 13 June

Small Tunas Species Group Intersessional Meeting, SCRS

Madrid, Spain

52.

11-12 June

16th OECS Ministerial Meeting on Sustainable Use of Living Marine Resources

Antigua

53.

11-16 June

Field Mission under the SPS Environmental Consultancy

Suriname

54.

16-18 June

10th EDF SPS Project - Fourth Meeting of the Technical Advisory & Technical Oversight Committee Meetings

Barbados

55.

September 2015 – March 2016

UNU-FTP Fisheries Training Programme

Iceland

56.

22 - 26 June

Dialogue between Scientists and Managers Working Group/WG Fisheries Managers and Scientist in support of the Western Bluefin Stock Assessment

TBD

57.

23-25 June

FAD Fisheries Management Write-shop

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

58.

29 June - 3 July

Field Mission under the SPS Environmental Consultancy

Belize

59.

June (date TBD)

WECAFC Regional workshop on fisheries data collection, analysis, sharing and reporting –EU supported

Bridgetown, Barbados

60.

2-4 July

36th Regular Meeting of Heads of Government

Barbados

61.

2 July (8:00-12:00)

Jamaica national Consultation on Fisheries Risk Insurance Initiative

Virtual

62.

6-9 July

Final Regional Training of Trainers Workshop for Fisherfolk Mentors

Anguilla

63.

9-10 July

Seminar on Laws to Protect Oceans and Seas

Panama

64.

6-11 July

2015 UF Ecosim/ Ecopath Lionfish Modelling and Management Training

USA

65.

6 - 24 July

21st Session of the International Seabed Authority

UN HQ, New York

66.

13 - 17 Jul

Bigeye Stock Assessment Meeting

Lisbon, Portugal

67.

20-21 July (Officials) 22-23 July (Ministerial)

4th Meeting of ACP Ministers in Charge of Fisheries and Agriculture

Brussels

68.

20 Jul - 4 Sept

Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf – 38th session

UN HQ, New York

69.

23-24 July

8th CARICOM-UN Meeting

Guyana

70.

27 - 31 July

Blue Shark Stock Assessment Meeting

Lisbon, Portugal

71.

24-25 August

Regional Validations Workshop, Fisheries Component of the EU Funded SPS Measures Project

Barbados

72.

1-3 September

FAO/ WECAFC Expert Meeting to Assess RFMO Arrangements & 1 day Meeting to discuss Fisheries Coordinating Mechanism for CLME Project

Barbados

73.

 7-8 September

 FAO/ WECAFC/ IDB/ CRFM/ IFREMER Workshop Investing in Ecosystem-based Shrimp and Groundfish Fisheries Management of the Guianas - Brazil Shelf

Barbados

74.

8 - 11 September

Sixth Meeting - Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole on the Regular Process for global reporting and assessment of the state of marine environment, including socioeconomic aspects

UN HQ, New York

75.

14-15 September

Meeting of the Secretary General and Heads of Community Institutions, and 2015 Donor Coordinator Meeting

Georgetown, Guyana

76.

14 September

1st Special Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Caribbean Fisheries Forum

Via GoTo Meeting

77.

15-18 September

FAO/ WECAFC/ CRFM Statistics Workshop

Barbados

78.

16 September

SPS TAC Meeting (Virtual)

Virtual

79.

21 - 25 September

SCRS Species Groups Meetings (SC Statistics 21 - 22)

Madrid, Spain

80.

24 September

First Meeting of the Consotium on Billfish Management and Conservation (CBMC)

Via Skype

81.

28 Sept - 2 Oct

Meeting of the Standing Committee on Research and Statistics

Madrid, Spain

82.

28 Sept - 2 Oct

First round- Informal consultations on omnibus resolution on oceans and the law of the sea

UN HQ, New York

83.

29 September - 1 October

Common Wealth and UNCTAD Ad Hoc Expert Meeting on Trade in Sustainable Fisheries (AHEM)

Geneva, Switzerland

84.

30 September

Meeting of CCS Agriculture Planners Forum

Virtual

85.

5-8 October

Third Regional Caribbean Fisherfolk Action Learning Group Workshop

Antigua & Barbuda

86.

6 October

59th Special Meeting of COTED-Agriculture (Officials Meeting)

Georgetown, Guyana

87.

8 October

59th Special Meeting of COTED-Agriculture (Ministerial Meeting)

Georgetown, Guyana

88.

9 October

59th Special Meeting of COTED

Georgetown, Guyana

89.

12 Oct - 27 Nov

Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf – 39th session

UN HQ, New York

90.

14-16 October

SIDs Food Security and Nutrition Conference

Milan, Italy

91.

15-16 October

Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation

Puerto Rico

92.

19-23 October

Visit of Grenada Minister, PS, CFO to Belize re MPA Management and Meeting with the CRFM

Belize

93.

19-24 October

CODEX Committee Meeting on Fish and Fish Products

Alesund, Norway

94.

23 October

25th Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Caribbean Fisheries Forum

via GoTo Meeting

95.

Oct (date TBD)

WECAFC/OSPESCA (CRFM?) Working Group on Sharks management and conservation– CITES supported

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

96.

26-28 October

CLME PEG/ SAP Interim Coordinating Meeting

Miami, USA

97.

Oct/Nov (date TBD)

CFMC/WECAFC/OSPESCA/CRFM Working Group on Spawning Aggregations – CFMC/USA supported.

Miami or Panama City

98.

3-6 November

CTA/ IICA Agri-businees Forum

Barbados

99.

8 - 9 November

WECAFC 7th session of the Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) – FAO supported.

Panama City, Panama

100.

9-11 November

WECAFC/ OSPESCA/ CRFM/ CFMC Working Group on Recreational Fisheries - 2nd Regional Workshop on Billfish Management and Conservation

Panama City, Panama

101.

9 – 13 Nov

68th Annual GCFI Meeting

Panama City, Panama

102.

10 - 17 Nov

24th Regular Meeting of the ICCAT Commission

Malta

103.

10 - 17 Nov

Informal consultations on resolution on sustainable fisheries

UN HQ, New York

104.

27-29 Nov

Commonwealth Heads Conference

Malta

105.

18 - 24 Nov

Second round- Informal consultations on omnibus resolution on oceans and the law of the sea

UN HQ, New York

106.

23-24 November

ACS/ CSC SYMPOSIUM: Challenges, Dialogue and Cooperation towards the Sustainability of the Caribbean Sea

Tobago

107.

1-2 December

2nd WECAFC Reorientation and Strategic Planning Workshop - EU supported

Trinidad and Tobago

108.

3 December (tentative)

4th SPS Technical Oversight Committee Meeting

Virtual

109.

December

Fisheries & Tourism Work Group to review Study Report

 

 

 

The Workshop which was organised by the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Secretariat in collaboration with the Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Organisation (CNFO) with support from the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), brought together stakeholders from the fisheries sector as well as the media to deepen their understanding of the “blue growth concept” on 20 – 21 November 2014, in St. Georges, Grenada.

 

Published in CTA Project

 

The four-wing flyingfish, scientifically known as Hirundichthys affinis, has long been the subject of attention in the region. Growing to just about 25cm in length, living at most just 1.5 years, and being caught in the fishery from as early as 5 to 7 months, this species supports a fishery that is of direct, significant importance for food and nutrition security and employment in at least in two CRFM Member States, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. Flyingfish is also becoming more important as a source of bait for the expanding offshore fisheries that target large pelagic species such as dolphinfish, wahoo, yellowfin tuna, skipjack tuna, and billfishes, which are top predator fishes for which flyingfish is a natural food source. Consequently, flyingfish is a key species in the food web as any drastic declines in the size of the population is likely to affect fisheries for large pelagic species, many of which are high-priced. Considerable research has been conducted on the biology, ecology, genetic stock structure, distribution and migration of the four-wing flyingfish as well as attempts at assessing the health or status of the stock.

SUMMARY

Fisheries are an important source of food, income and cultural identity for Caribbean communities. While reef fisheries in the Caribbean are frequently over-exploited, offshore pelagic resources also targeted by the US sport-fishing industry may generate alternative economic benefits and divert pressure from reefs. Key to the efficient harvesting of thinly-distributed pelagic fish is the use of fish aggregation devices (FADs). Traditionally, FADs were deployed by individuals or close-knit groups of fishers. Recently, governments have deployed public FADs accessible to all. There is concern that public FADs are exploited less efficiently and produce conflicts related to crowding and misuse.

In partnership with Counterpart International, the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism and the Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines Fisheries Divisions, Florida Sea Grant collected information from fishermen on their use of FADs that were deployed privately, by small groups or by the government. This allowed for a determination of governance arrangements that were most profitable and provided input to stakeholder meetings with FAD fishers to identify best practices for sustainably using and co-managing FADs.

The fishing trip analysis shows that catch and profitability are higher when FADs are managed privately or by small groups and access to the aggregated fisheries resources is somewhat restricted. An engagement strategy that introduced an activity planner as a best practice to increase information sharing helped strengthen the rapport between government and fisheries stakeholders. Study results are helping shape regional implementation of policy, which favors FADs co-managed by fishers and government, but can benefit from positive aspects of FADs managed privately or by small groups.

Published in Press release

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