Anguilla 
Antigua and Barbuda 
Grenada 
Bahamas 
Barbados 
Belize 
Dominica 
Guyana 
Haiti 
Jamaica 
Montserrat 
St. Kitts and Nevis 
St. Lucia 
St. Vincent and the Grenadines 
Suriname 
Trinidad and Tobago 
Turks and Caicos 
Building the Capacity of Aquaculture and the Blue Economy in the Caribbean
Dr. Juli-Anne Russo
Caribbean Aquaculture Education and Innovation Hub
Via Monte Roncone, Allumiere 00051, Italy
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABSTRACT
Despite a global increase in aquaculture, the Caribbean remains at 0.05%. Aquaculture is commonly associated with the intensive culture of salmon in developed countries and the culture of tilapia and shrimp in developing countries. The suit of species to be cultured in the region goes beyond these given the diverse ecosystems and may include species such as conch, marine finfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, aquarium species, oysters, mussels, seaweeds and other aquatic plants, to name a few. Many blue foods are rich in bioavailable micronutrients and can be produced more sustainably. For Caribbean countries, aquaculture has the potential to positively address the problems of nutrition and food insecurity, the unsustainable exploitation of marine resources, and socio-economic inequalities. Conventional approaches to promoting aquaculture have largely failed. Most components necessary for aquaculture development in the region remain underdeveloped, including human and technical resources and the general knowledge required to take advantage of its opportunities. For instance, vast coastal areas have hardly been explored for mariculture / blue foods development which can become the cornerstone of coastal communities. Additionally, given the critical state of important marine ecosystems such as coral reefs and mangroves due to overexploitation, the potential for aquaculture as an alternate source of fish protein and alternative livelihood activities has yet to be taken seriously. The Caribbean Aquaculture Education and Innovation Hub (CAEIH) seeks to leverage and strengthen this framework through scientific research, with the introduction of aquaculture curriculum in secondary and tertiary institutions, and partnership initiatives to realize regional targets such as the CARICOM commitment to a 25 percent reduction in food imports by 2025 and the global 2030 agenda. In this way, we intend to identify and monitor key performance indicators at all levels of human and technical capacity in aquaculture production including the participation of women and youth.
HOW TO CITE: Russo, J-A., 2026. Building the Capacity of Aquaculture and the Blue Economy in the Caribbean. Contribution 9.2, p618-625 IN CRFM, 2026. Volume I: Technical Papers. Presented at the CRFM 20th Anniversary Scientific Conference, 28-31 August 2023. CRFM Special Publication No. 37, CRFM Secretariat https://www.crfm.int/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=953
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