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 
Reflections on a Collaborative Program to Build Capacity in the Caribbean Fisheries Resource Management Sector
Nancy Montes* and Charles Sidman
Florida Sea Grant, University of Florida Gainesville, Florida, USA.
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ABSTRACT
Capacity development, a process by which an organization or institution strives to improve the skills of its professional staff, is often cited as a priority for strengthening fisheries and ocean management in developing regions, including the Caribbean. Needs span the disciplines of social, physical, and environmental sciences and include topics related to aquaculture development; marine spatial planning; data collection and analysis; geo-spatial technologies; and fisheries stock assessment (Montes and Sidman, 2019). These skills may be imparted to staff on-the-job and/or through participation in professional trainings, typically provided through partnerships among governments, regional institutions, and international organizations. Trainings are often of short-duration and provide participants with basic knowledge and exposure to needs-related concepts. Extended learning opportunities that provide cultural exchange, knowledge sharing, and incorporate user-defined projects can equip participants with greater expertise and added confidence to apply the knowledge gained, given sufficient support from their organizations or institutions. During the past decade, the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) has prioritized capacity building, in part, through its support of a training program for fisheries management professionals at the University of Florida, undertaken through a cooperative agreement with Florida Sea Grant (FSG). This program has also benefited from the sponsorship of professional organizations, such as the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI). The evolution of this capacity-building program from on-site to virtual learning platforms – made necessary in response to COVID-19 – is evaluated through a survey of former program participants. The paper explores the reach of the training program throughout the Gulf and Caribbean regions; the motivations that drive program participation; the ways in which learned skills are being applied; the personal and professional benefits that have accrued to former participants; and future training opportunities.
HOW TO CITE: Montes, N. and C. Sidman, 2026. Reflections on a Collaborative Program to Build Capacity in the Caribbean Fisheries Resource Management Sector. Contribution 4.4, p320-329 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=924
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