National Report on the Status of Fisheries and Aquaculture in BARBADOS

Gregory Franklin, Christopher Parker, Colvin Taylor, and Shelly-Ann Cox

Barbados Fisheries Division, Ministry of Environment and National Beautification,
Green and Blue Economy, Princess Alice Highway, Bridgetown, St. Michael Barbados

Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Barbados has a rich tradition of fishing with significant economic and cultural importance. An estimated 8,800 people are involved in the fisheries sector of Barbados1which accounts for approximately 8% of the workforce. Traditionally, flyingfish and dolphinfish by far dominated the species composition of the local fish catch. However the large-scale incursions of Sargassum into the region, that have for the last several years become annual events, significantly altered the catch rates of flyingfish and associated large pelagic species, especially dolphinfish, and thus altered the typical pattern of the species composition of the catch during the impacted fishing seasons/years. The Fisheries Division continued to fulfill its mission towards the management and sustainable development of the fisheries and aquaculture resources of Barbados for the benefit of our people, both present and future generations. During the pandemic, the operations of the division were significantly impacted resulting in the rescheduling of vessel inspection and the postponement of in-person training activities. Stakeholder consultations were held online in most instances and landing site visits were limited. Staff members pivoted and used Zoom and WhatsApp group chats to engage with clients and provide information and updates. The following initiatives were implemented during the reporting period.

HOW TO CITE: Franklin, G., C. Parker, C. Taylor, and S. Cox, 2026. National Report on the Status of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Barbados. Contribution 10.4, p 29-41 IN CRFM, 2026. Volume II: National Reports on the Status of Fisheries and Aquaculture. 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=958

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Recommended Strategies to Protect Parrotfish Populations in Barbados

Christopher Parker and Shelly-Ann Cox

Fisheries Division, Bridgetown, Barbados
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ABSTRACT

Parrotfish are considered ecologically keystone species that play key roles as grazers, agents of bio-erosion of calcareous substrate, sediment production and transport in coral reef ecosystems and shoreline stabilisation. Recent reported declines in populations of some parrotfish species on Barbadian reefs due to several anthropogenic factors, has raised understandable alarm resulting in calls to significantly reduce or completely ban fishing of parrotfish. This of course will have significant impacts on the livelihoods of the many people involved in the island’s reef fisheries especially given the high commercial and cultural value of parrotfish more commonly known locally as ‘chubs’. Relevant scientific information on this issue is critically examined in this paper and a recommended holistic strategy is proposed to protect parrotfish populations while selectively mitigating the social and economic impacts on the more vulnerable participants in the reef fisheries that harvest parrotfish. The first overarching recommendation is that selective protection of parrotfishes or any subset of species in the family (i.e., corallivorous or non-corallivorous) is not supported. Instead, it is recommended that the focus should be on reducing fishing pressure on all reef fish species eliminating the incidences of wasteful ghost fishing and physical damage to reefs caused by the fishing activities. A co-management approach is recommended as being essential in the implementation of adaptive management measures that are grounded in participatory action research. This approach engenders buy-in, cooperation and effective compliance with a “carrot” rather than the “stick” approach, as is considered vital to the success of these initiatives.

HOW TO CITE: Parker, C. and S-A. Cox, 2026.  Recommended Strategies to Protect Parrotfish Populations in Barbados. Contribution 6.11, p485-492 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=941

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If you have challenges accessing or downloading documents in this series, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , copied to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call us at +501-223-4443. Some browsers do not properly load Google Drive documents, so if you have challenges accessing the PowerPoint slides or the full special publication, try switching to another browser such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

Looking Back Before Moving Forward: Learning From History to Develop Aquaculture and Mariculture in Barbados

Christopher Parker and Colvin Taylor

Barbados Fisheries Division. Ministry of the Environment and National Beautification, Princess Alice Highway, Bridgetown, Barbados

Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

ABSTRACT

To meet local demands, Barbados currently imports much more fish and fish products than it produces. In recent years this disparity has worsened by the significant reduction in catches of flyingfish and dolphinfish resulting from the mass influxes of Sargassum spp. into traditional fishing grounds. Against this background, the Barbados Fisheries Policy (BFP) 2023-2033 requires Government to support the contribution of sustainable aquaculture to economic growth, food security and income diversification. At this juncture, it is prudent to critically review and assess the island’s past aquaculture and mariculture ventures with the objective of discerning any lessons learnt and applying these to the formulation of sound policies and plans for the development and management of vi–able and sustainable aquaculture and mariculture in Barbados. This is the main objective of this paper. Scarcity of available land and water resources significantly limits opportunities for large-scale, land-based aquaculture ventures in Barbados. As such, the island’s few commercial-scale ventures have necessarily utilized Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). However, most of these businesses have not been sustainably profitable for various reasons, with most not progressing beyond the pilot-phase. Small-scale “backyard” ventures often rearing primarily Tilapia in small tanks as well as in aquaponics arrays, have emerged as the predominant forms of aquaculture on the island. Options for mariculture are also constrained by the island’s densely populated land area and limited and crowded coastline. It is emphasized that it is the duty of government through cogent legislation to ensure that all aquaculture and mariculture ventures are financially sustainable and redound to the benefit of Barbados without damaging the environment. To this end, a new policy framework for aquaculture and mariculture and regulations were approved by Cabinet on 9th June 2023. Regular consultation with stakeholder experts is necessary for implementation and to chart the way forward for the sector.

HOW TO CITE: Parker, C. and C. Taylor, 2026. Looking Back Before Moving Forward: Learning From History to Develop Aquaculture and Mariculture in Barbados. Contribution 5.2, p331-345 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 Secretariathttps://www.crfm.int/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=926

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Download CRFM Special Publication No. 37:

Proceedings of the CRFM 20^th Anniversary Scientific Conference

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If you have challenges accessing or downloading documents in this series, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , copied to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call us at +501-223-4443. Some browsers do not properly load Google Drive documents, so if you have challenges accessing the PowerPoint slides or the full special publication, try switching to another browser such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

Belize City, Monday, 25 March 2024 (CRFM)—As the global discussion continues on the elimination of harmful subsidies to the fisheries sector, following the adoption of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies at the 12^th WTO Ministerial Conference on 17 June 2022, Caribbean countries have been engaged on its far-reaching implications. The WTO Agreement sets new, binding, multilateral rules to curb harmful subsidies, which are a key factor in the widespread overfishing of the world’s fish stocks. Specifically, the Agreement prohibits subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, for utilizing overfished stocks, and for fishing on the unregulated high seas. Implementation of this Agreement will contribute to the fulfillment of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal target 14.6.

The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), the CARICOM Secretariat, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), and WTO are co-hosting the 2^nd Regional Technical Workshop on the Ratification and Implementation of the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement in CARICOM Member States. The purpose of the event—which is bringing together Caribbean senior Trade and Fisheries officials and representatives from partner organizations in Bridgetown, Barbados, from 25-26 March 2024—is to provide resources and tools to guide ratification and implementation of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.

The Technical Workshop will also help to chart a way forward for the implementation of the Agreement and strengthen the capacity of national Fisheries and Trade Officials to implement the Agreement. It will also build upon the outcomes of the first technical workshop on Fisheries Subsidies for the Caribbean region held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, 17-19 January 2023. The ongoing second wave of fisheries subsidies negotiations, which seek to develop additional provisions on subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, will also be discussed, with reference to the recently held 13^th WTO Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi.

The Keynote Speaker for the Opening Ceremony will be the Hon. Kerrie Symmonds, M.P., Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Senior Minister coordinating the Productive Sector, of Barbados. Ambassador Wayne McCook, Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM Single Market and Trade, and Therese Turner-Jones, Vice-President (Operations)(Ag.) at the Caribbean Development Bank, will also deliver remarks during the Opening Ceremony.

Milton Haughton, Executive Director, CRFM Secretariat, will also present remarks during the Opening Ceremony and later lead off the technical engagement with a presentation on Sustainable Fisheries Management and Development in the Caribbean in the context of fisheries subsidies. Clarisse Morgan, Director - Rules Division at the WTO Secretariat, will deliver remarks as well as an Overview of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, and Chantal Ononaiwu, Director of External Trade at the CARICOM Secretariat, will present on the second wave of negotiations on Fisheries Subsidies.

As of 12 March 2024, 71 countries had ratified the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, including five (5) CRFM Member States: Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Haiti, and Saint Lucia. According to the World Trade Organization, for the Agreement to enter into force, two-thirds of WTO members (or 109 countries) must formally accept the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies by depositing an “instrument of acceptance” with the WTO. Once the Agreement enters into force, it will remain open for acceptance by any other WTO member and will take effect for that new signatory as soon as its instrument of acceptance is deposited with the WTO.

Member States will speak on their internal processes and approaches towards ratification and implementation of the WTO Agreement, including any challenges experienced. International and regional organizations providing technical assistance and capacity building support will provide details on opportunities available to support countries with implementation of the agreement once it has come into force.

This week’s technical workshop also provides a forum for other regional and international organizations, fisherfolk, donors, non-CARICOM countries, and private sector representatives who would be directly or indirectly impacted by the Subsidies Agreement to be engaged on this critical matter.

It is expected that at the conclusion of the 2^nd Regional Technical Workshop on the Ratification and Implementation of the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, Caribbean countries will be better equipped to chart the way forward for the ratification and implementation of the Agreement.

—Ends—

Greenhouse trial with liquid organic fertilizer derived from Sargassum (Photo: M. Haughton, CRFM)

Belize City, Thursday, 7 December 2023 (CRFM)—Groundbreaking work has begun in the Caribbean to produce Sargassum-derived liquid fertilizers or plant growth promoters, as well as an organic compost from processed Sargassum, for eventual incorporation into farmer and grower practices in the Caribbean. The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), an inter-governmental organization of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and Plant & Food Research, a New Zealand Crown Research Institute, are leading this initiative, under the Sargassum Products for Climate Resilience in the Caribbean Project, a multiyear project funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

This builds on work undertaken by the CRFM since 2015, to address the persistent problem of recurring Sargassum inundations which have been plaguing the region for the past 12 years. Sargassum blooms continue to adversely affect the coastal ecosystems and economic sectors—such as fisheries and tourism—in many Caribbean countries, and clean-up efforts have been costly. Although Sargassum levels have fluctuated from year to year, the general forecast is for continued high levels of blooms and beaching of Sargassum in the foreseeable future. Climate change and nutrient enrichment of the oceans have been identified as major contributing factors to this phenomenon which has been affecting our region since 2011.

Sargassum inundation across a fishing beach on the island of Saint Lucia (Photo: M. Haughton, CRFM)

“Sargassum is a natural marine living resource that has been abundant in our coastal waters. It is often an unpleasant sight on our otherwise picturesque beaches, and rotting Sargassum heaps are hazardous to humans and marine life and environmental health. We must, therefore, find ways to use the Sargassum while neutralizing any potential negative effects of the heavy metals contained therein. The safe and profitable conversion of Sargassum biomass into innovative products to adapt to climate change and bolster economic resilience will also generate tangible economic and social benefits for local communities and present and future generations across the entire Caribbean,” said Milton Haughton, Executive Director of the CRFM.

The first phase of the project, which focused on testing the Sargassum to better understand how to handle and use it safely, was completed in 2022. This second phase, which commenced early 2023, focuses on product and process development. In May 2023, the CRFM concluded agreements with the University of the West Indies (UWI), Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Cave Hill Campus, and the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), which are providing technical support for joint research and surveys to advance the second phase of the project. During this phase, the project will develop and evaluate liquid fertilizers and compost from Sargassum. The hope is that this initiative will help to protect the marine environment and coastal communities, and create jobs and value-added products, while contributing towards the reduction of the region’s high import bill for fertilizers used by farmers.

There are two very important guiding principles of this project. The first is the application of the precautionary principle which ensures that when there is uncertainty and a risk of harm, we should act with care and caution, guided by the best available scientific information. The second principle encompasses the circular economy approach, which ensures total utilization of the Sargassum to eliminate waste and pollution, which is good for people, business, and the environment. The Sargassum harvested from the sea will, therefore, be used to produce fertilizer, and the residue will be utilized to generate other products such as compost and building materials—all of which will be safe and effective for their intended purposes.

UWI has assisted with the process of producing liquid fertilizers from the Sargassum. CARDI has been conducting a survey of farmers to engender a deeper understanding of how they use fertilizers and their interest in a fertilizer product from Sargassum. This knowledge will enhance strategies to promote the uptake of the Sargassum-derived products for use in the agriculture sector.

CARDI is now completing a study to evaluate the performance of the liquid fertilizers developed with the assistance of UWI on crops under greenhouse conditions. Further studies will be conducted in the field with the assistance of farmers.

Since the commencement of the Sargassum Products for Climate Resilience Project in 2020, the CRFM and Plant & Food Research of New Zealand have worked with partners in Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic, and with specialized laboratories in the United States and New Zealand, to conduct Sargassum raw material safety testing and to review potential products that could be made from the Sargassum.

The final phase of the project, which is due to commence in 2024, will focus on the establishment of a pilot plant to produce liquid organic fertilizer, as well as on outreach and supply chain development, which would entail the dissemination of a workable model to industry stakeholders in the Caribbean. Through continued stakeholder engagement, the project will also gather feedback to guide future work, strengthen relationships with Caribbean enterprises, and develop sustainable pathways for the commercialisation of new Sargassum products.

– ENDS –

RESOURCES:

• Project Brochure: https://www.crfm.net/images/Sargassum_Products_for_Climate_Change_in_the_Caribbean_14Oct20.pdf
• Explainer Video:https://youtu.be/vLqR08DYkO0

In case you missed it, here is the recording of our recent seminar on Sargassum Value Chain Development.