FiTI continues outreach in Jamaica to enhance Caribbean fisheries transparency

KINGSTON, JAMAICA December 4-11, 2024. The Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) International Secretariat recently conducted a country mission to Jamaica to strengthen collaborative efforts in fisheries transparency.

During a meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, FiTI Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean Ms Tyann Henry, engaged Honourable Minister Floyd Green, Dr. Gavin Bellamy, the CEO of the National Fisheries Authority (NFA), and Ms. Andrea Donaldson, Senior Manager of Conservation and Protection at the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), in discussions on the role of fisheries transparency in sustainable fisheries management.

The meeting also covered the FiTI’s expansion into the Caribbean region and its aims to collaborate with Jamaica to enhance national fisheries governance. All parties expressed interest in the FiTI during these discussions, with Minister Green highlighting Jamaica’s current strides in improving transparency and accessibility of fisheries and marine information under the country’s designation as the regional hub for Blue Justice. Minister Green reinforced that with these efforts already underway, meeting the FiTI Standard as a new FiTI country should be a simple transition, and requested the opportunity to establish a draft agreement with the FiTI.

Caribbean Coastal Conference

The FiTI also participated in the Caribbean Coastal Conference 2024 from December 9-11, at the AC Mariott Hotel in Kingston. Hosted by the Caribbean Development Bank under the theme “Achieving Balance: Developing & Preserving Caribbean Coastlines”, the conference was an enriching experience for participants, offering multiple panel discussions on key challenges to coastal management and protection across the region, and several presentations across the themes of blue economy, coastal governance, shoreline planning for climate change adaptation and resilience as well as financing options for climate change adaptation and resilience.