History

In 2003/04, a CTA/CARDI/CRFM regional study examined the organisational needs and operational strengths and weaknesses of existing national and primary or community-based Caribbean fisher folk organisations and made recommendations to address them. At a CTA/CARDI/CRFM Regional Workshop held in Belize in 2004 to review the study and recommendations, an explicit recommendation was made to launch a regional network of national fisherfolk organisations. It was also decided that the network would be established when at least 50% of the ACP countries + 1 would have NFOs. In this context, a Working Group was created to develop a strategy for the launching of the network and make proposals for strengthening the institutional capacities of fisherfolk organisations, with the strategy being aimed at addressing the following issues:

• Lack of critical mass of NFOs for launching the network as defined by the 2004 Belize Workshop;
• Fisherfolk organisations’ weak management skills;
• Insufficient access to relevant information by fisherfolk; and
• Fisherfolk organisations limited communication and advocacy skills.

The Working Group met in Guyana in June 2005 and produced a Strategy and Medium Term Action Plan for the Institutional Strengthening of Regional Fisherfolk Organisations – 2006-2010.

Based on the Strategy and Medium Term Action Plan, a proposal for the development of the Caribbean network of fisherfolk organisations was submitted to the CTA. Since then the CTA and CRFM and other collaborating partners have been working together in support of this dynamic process initiated by the fisherfolk groups in the Caribbean to establish the regional network. Collaborating partners include UWI-CERMES, CANARI, Commonwealth Foundation, GCFI and UNEP. The first phase of the process which lasted from 2006 to 2008 included the following elements: identifying the potential for a regional network among fisherfolk groups; establishing and formalizing national fisherfolk organisations (NFO), as the backbone of the regional network; training fisherfolk leaders in areas related to network management and use of communication tools.

Dominica, Guyana, St. Lucia and Suriname have officially formed NFOs and Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have established steering committees to legalize NFOs in the near future. NFOs from these countries along with those from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago form the core group of the CNFO to be formally launched in 2009. They are represented in the CNFO Coordinating Unit (CNFO-CU) which was established at the 2007 Grenada Regional Fisheries Stakeholders Workshop to Promote the Launching of a Caribbean Network of National Fisherfolk Organisations [Insert hyperlink to Report] to develop and execute a work plan for the formation and legalization of the regional network and its development. It is expected that the remaining countries in the CARICOM/CARIFORUM region will eventually join the Network in the years to come as a result of CNFO-CU’s continued mobilization efforts and understanding of the benefits of being members.

Development of the CNFO

In partnership with the CTA, CRFM, UWI-CERMES, GCFI, CANARI and Commonwealth Foundation, the CNFO-CU was involved in the following activities aimed at developing the network and building the capacity of its membership:

1. Field missions to Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines to promote the formation of NFO’s in these member states.
2. Knowledge-sharing mission to Belize to get a better understanding of the business and other operations of the FFOs and NFO in Belize that would enable them to develop and implement sustainable financing and training activities.
3. CTA/CRFM Training Workshop in Management, Communication and Advocacy, St. Lucia, 22 September – 3 October 2008. See Report.
4. First and Second Workshops on Regional Fisherfolk Organization Policy Influence and Planning, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (13-15 January 2009) (See Report); and Dominica (15-17 April 2009) (See Report).
5. First CRFM Ministerial Council Meeting, 16 January 2009, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, at which a presentation on fisherfolk concerns was made.
6. Fishers’ exchange to Grenada in April 2009 to share information on suitable gear and techniques that will contribute to sustainable fisheries.
7. Coordinated the attendance of fisherfolk to the 60th, 61st and 62nd GCFI Conferences in Dominican Republic (2007), Guadeloupe (2008) and Venezuela, respectively.
8. The CNFO-CU participated in the Third Special Caribbean Fisheries Forum (CFF) on the Common Fisheries Policy in Dominica in April 2009, as well as at the Seventh Regular Session of the Caribbean Fisheries Forum (CFF) in St. Lucia, July 2009, at which a recommendation was made for CNFO to be granted Observer Status to this body.