Caribbean partnership strengthened
The GRÓ Fisheries Training Programme recently welcomed a valued partner from the Caribbean, Dr. Marc Williams, Executive Director of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM).
During his visit, Dr. Williams met with GRÓ FTP Director Þór Ásgeirsson and specialist Stefán Úlfarsson to review the long-standing cooperation between the two organisations.
Their discussion reaffirmed a shared sense that the partnership between GRÓ FTP and the Caribbean fisheries community remains strong -- and that the work underway today will help guide sustainable fisheries management in the region for years to come.
Currently, the CRFM and GRÓ FTP are jointly conducting a capacity needs assessment of the CRFM fisheries administrations and the CRFM Secretariat.
Two GRÓ FTP fellows from Jamaica, Ms. Annakay Crawford and Ms. Deandra Roberts, who are gathering and analysing data for this assessment, briefed Dr. Williams about the status of their work.
A partnership built over decades
The cooperation between GRÓ FTP and fisheries institutions in the Americas has developed gradually over more than two decades.
Engagement with countries in the region began in the early 2000s, with early visits to Cuba and Mexico and the arrival of the first Caribbean fellows in Iceland soon afterwards.
A significant step came in 2006 when discussions with the CRFM during a visit to Belize opened the door to closer collaboration with the regional body. Since then, cooperation has grown steadily through fellowships, regional workshops and ongoing professional exchange.
The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism -- an intergovernmental organisation that supports cooperation in fisheries among Caribbean states -- has been a particularly important partner in these efforts.
Fruitful cooperation
Since the early 2000s, more than 70 fisheries professionals from the Americas (including the Caribbean, South- and Central America) have participated in GRÓ FTP's six-month training programme, with more than half of those coming from the CRFM member states (39).
Five of the CRFM participants later received postgraduate scholarships to continue their studies at universities in Iceland, further strengthening the professional links between Iceland and the region.
Apart from the six-month training programme in Iceland, GRÓ FTP has also organised twelve in-country workshops across the Caribbean, most of them in the Lesser Antilles. These activities have focused on practical issues such as fisheries data management, stock assessment, project management, and value chain development.
Several alumni from the region have moved on to leadership positions within their national fisheries administrations, the CRFM Secretariat and even the CRFM Ministerial Council, illustrating the long-term impact of the partnership.