Coastfish Project Five-Day Semina

The Department of Fisheries and the Japan International Cooperation Agency have once again joined forces for the ongoing “Coast Fish Project,” aimed at strengthening the sustainable use and management of coastal fisheries resources in CARICOM countries. The project achieved a significant milestone with the conclusion of a comprehensive five-day seminar held in Saint Lucia from August 14 to 18, 2023, targeting the enhancement of capabilities of fisheries statisticians from the Project’s Target Countries.

Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Ichiro Mimura, emphasized the importance of statistics and data analysis in effective coastal and marine resource management, stating, “Quite often when we talk about coastal and marine resource management, we refer to fishing port and facility equipment, sustainable livelihood and other related issues. These are all very important. However, what is often overlooked and underappreciated is the critical role that statistics and data analysis play in the effective management of these valuable resources, as fisheries officers who carry out this important work of data collection and analysis are performing an extremely vital task for proper decision-making and even a policy direction in the sector facilitated.”

Deputy Fisheries Officer, Thomas Nelson, highlighted the seminar’s focus on aligning statisticians with the Coast Fish Project’s overarching goals stating, “The issue of data, the management of fisheries and fisheries-related resources, and the analysis of data to inform decision-making is very critical. And I know that ‘R’ has been in the region for a while and building our capacity to utilize such software, a program which I understood is very, versatile in that you can use it to produce so many results that can be applicable to various aspects of fisheries.”

The Department of Fisheries is actively advancing sustainable marine resource management in Saint Lucia, contributing to the enduring well-being and vitality of coastal fisheries resources.