Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, 29 September 2025 (CRFM)—The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) is convening three hybrid events spotlighting the fisheries and aquaculture sector, this week during the 19th Caribbean Week of Agriculture. The annual event, held under the auspices of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, opened at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort on Monday, 29 September 2025.

Hon. Samal Duggins, host Minister for CWA 2025 and the upcoming 16^th Special Meeting of the CRFM Ministerial Council, addressing the audience at the opening of CWA 2025 in Saint Kitts and Nevis

Host Minister for the weeklong event, Honourable Samal Duggins, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Marine Resources, said in his remarks: “Our region has not always given agriculture the priority it deserves. Too often, it has been seen as a sector of last resort, rather than being recognized as a pillar of sovereignty and a pillar of growth. For too long, our farmers and our fishers—the true heroes of food security—have carried the heaviest of these burdens with too little recognition and too little support.”

He added that, “This week must be remembered as the moment when we moved from words to deeds, the moment we moved from intentions into deliberate actions… Let us leave with commitments rooted in the soil, reflected in our oceans, and lived in the homes of our people.”

On Tuesday, September 30, 2025, Minister Duggins will host the 16th Special Meeting of the CRFM Ministerial Council, which will be chaired by Honourable Kyle Hodge, Anguilla’s Minister of Economic Development, Industry, Commerce, Lands, Planning, Water, and Natural Resources.

Chair of the CRFM Ministerial Council, Honourable Kyle Hodge of Anguilla (right), with Undersecretary in the Ministry of Agriculture & Marine Resources, The Bahamas, Mr. Montez Williams

The agenda of the CRFM Ministerial Council focuses on items such as the status and trends in fisheries and aquaculture production, trade, and employment; initiatives to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; a new grievance redress mechanism for the CRFM; a regional training and capacity needs assessment being undertaken by the CRFM with support from GRÓ-Fisheries Training Programme (FTP), under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as well as south-south cooperation with China.

The Ministers will also receive updates and provide policy guidance on regional initiatives to address climate resilience and blue economic growth. These include the Global Affairs Canada-funded Sustainable Technologies for Adaptation and Resilience in Fisheries (STAR-Fish) Project; the GEF/CAF/FAO/CRFM BE-CLME+ Project: Promoting National Blue Economy Priorities through Marine Spatial Planning in the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem Plus (BE-CLME+); and the New Zealand Bioeconomy Science Institute: Plant and Food Research Group/CRFM Sargassum Products for Climate Resilience in the Caribbean Project.

Also on Tuesday, September 30, starting at 1:00 p.m. in the Saint Kitts (Plenary) Room at the Marriott, the Ministers will be invited to join stakeholders and partners, in person and online, at the final event being implemented under the Sargassum Products for Climate Resilience in the Caribbean Project: the Sargassum Seminar titled, From Sargassum to Biostimulant: Sowing Change and Harvesting Resilience.

Then on Wednesday, October 1, starting at 1:30 p.m. in the Dominica Room, the CRFM will partner with the Department of Marine Resources and the National Fisherfolk Organization of Saint Kitts and Nevis to convene the Caribbean Small-scale Fisheries & Aquaculture Forum.

Both technical events—the seminar and forum—will be held in hybrid format, and interested persons can either attend in person or online. Registration is still open via the CRFM’s website (crfm.int).

Finally, the CRFM, through the Canada-funded STAR-Fish project, will mount a renewable energy exhibit at the 30th Agri Open Day & Marine Expo to be held at the Royal Basseterre Valley National Park, Kim Collins Highway, on Thursday, October 2 and Friday, October 2, 2025.

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(Photos and video footage courtesy Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources, Saint Kitts and Nevis)

Belize City, Thursday, 19 June 2025 (CRFM)—The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) is moving full speed ahead with the implementation of the Canada-funded STAR-Fish Project: “Sustainable Technologies for Adaptation and Resilience in Fisheries.” This CAD 4 million initiative is designed to increase clean energy transition in Caribbean fisheries and aquaculture while building resilience, by addressing the need to improve competitiveness and unleash key economic drivers.

This month, the CRFM Secretariat welcomed two highly experienced project staff: Mr. Sherrón Barker – Regional Project Coordinator, and Mrs. Daintyann Barrett-Smith – Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialist.

"The STAR-Fish Project represents an important opportunity to drive innovation and sustainability in Caribbean fisheries. I am honoured to support our partners in delivering real progress on climate resilience, gender equity, and clean energy transition in this critical sector for our region’s economies and communities," Mr. Barker said.

He joined the CRFM Secretariat in Belize City in February 2025, as the Environmental and Social Safeguards Officer under another regional initiative – the GEF/FAO/CRFM BE-CLME+ Project titled, “Promoting National Blue Economy Priorities Through Marine Spatial Planning in the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem Plus.” He previously worked as Project Manager for the Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative, at the International Seabed Authority in Jamaica from 2023 to 2024.

In his new role as the Regional Project Coordinator for the STAR-Fish Project, Mr. Barker will oversee and coordinate the implementation of STAR-Fish. He also holds responsibility for planning, implementing, and ensuring the delivery of timely and quality project outputs.

Complementing his work, Mrs. Barrett-Smith will assess environmental and social risks, recommend solutions, ensure compliance with the relevant environmental and social safeguard policies and standards, as well as provide technical support for the implementation of the project and its activities. She will also lead the development of an environmental and social screening checklist for the project. She is furthermore tasked with identifying mitigation and corrective measures which may be required by the project. Of note is that Mrs. Barnett-Smith has also been retained to fill the role vacated by Mr. Barker as the Environmental and Social Safeguards Officer for the BE-CLME+ Project.

In 2024, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) approved the implementation of STAR-Fish—a four-year project which was developed by the CRFM to address climate resilience in the Caribbean. The Government of Canada, through Global Affairs Canada, has donated CAD 4 million to the project, while the CRFM has committed CAD 324,000 in counterpart funding. Although this project is being implemented in countries eligible for Official Development Assistance (ODA)—namely Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname—the CRFM Secretariat is committed to ensuring that other Member States across the region garner as many spin-off benefits as possible.

The fisheries sector consumes energy across its value chain, particularly for fish processing—cooling, cleaning, drying, and freezing. The STAR-Fish Project seeks to demonstrate that energy costs can be substantially reduced by transitioning to renewable energy technologies. The project intends to ultimately increase clean energy transition in Caribbean fisheries and aquaculture by applying a gender-responsive approach to its interventions, as it supports the certification of low carbon or carbon neutral fisheries in the region and facilitates technical collaboration and knowledge exchange.

The STAR-Fish Project is pivotal for the advancement of the CRFM’s 2022-2030 Strategic Plan. It particularly supports the attainment of Strategic Goal 4, which envisions “Increased use of renewable energy and energy efficient harvesting, processing, and cold storage systems, and reduction of the region’s reliance on fossil fuels in fisheries and aquaculture.”

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About Global Affairs Canada:

Global Affairs Canada (GAC)—under the leadership of the Minister of Foreign Affairs; the Minister of International Trade; the Minister of Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs; and the Secretary of State of International Development—is responsible for advancing Canada’s international relations, including, inter alia: developing and implementing foreign policy; fostering the development of international law, international trade and commerce; and providing international assistance (encompassing humanitarian, development, and peace and security).