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Contact:
John Emmanuel
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St. Kitts & Nevis Minister for Housing,
Agriculture, Fisheries & Consumer Affairs Hon. Cedric Liburd (Left) &
Symposium Co-ordinator Senator Daven Joseph of Antigua |
Monday, May 23, 2005 - The people of the region are to be further
sensitized on the broad issues of sustainable use of the Caribbean’s marine
resources. A two-day media sensitisation symposium held recently at the Marriott
Resort in the St. Kitts and Nevis, drew representation from over two dozen
regional journalists, who were brought up-to-date on the latest data coming out
of research conducted by regional marine experts.
St. Lucia’s Chief Fisheries Officer Vaughan Charles, one of the resource persons
to the symposium says the new data, currently being collected via a five-year
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) funded project in the OECS, will play a
critical role in solidifying the Caribbean’s position at international fora such
as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the
International Whaling Commission (IWC).
“We have to abide by what the science tells us and not by emotions,” the career
fisheries official commented. “For a long time the other side and by that I mean
the anti-whaling groups, conservationists and the like, lean and play on the
emotions of the peoples of the region. They take whatever marine species that is
important to us and turn them into cartoon characters in order to appeal to
young people and others with various sensitivities to cause them to reject our
traditional positions on the use of marine resources. However the science is
what will dictate how we manage the resources of the region and this is why the
research is so important,” says Mr. Charles.
St. Kitts & Nevis for its part is already laying the ground work for its
historic hosting of next year’s IWC 58, one of the highest decision making fora
affecting fisheries management the world over. With Caribbean states having been
accused of “selling out” to Japan and other major whaling countries, regional
Agriculture Ministers say now more than ever, the region’s position on whaling
and other sustainable marine activities must be brought home to Caribbean folk.
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Minister for Agriculture, Lands &
Fisheries of Antigua Hon. Joanne Massiah |
St. Kitts and Nevis Minster for Housing, Agriculture, Fisheries and Consumer
Affairs Honourable Cedric Liburd, believes that the media must play a
significant role in national development. As his country prepares to stop
production and export of sugar cane with the 2004 harvest being the last, and
having overheads of over three hundred million dollars (EC$300 million),
Minister Liburd says moves towards diversification of which fisheries will play
a major role, can only succeed if all stakeholders, including the media, are
keenly aware of all the issues and their impacts on the Caribbean.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Antigua/Barbuda’s Minister for Agriculture,
Lands and Fisheries Honourable Joanne Massiah. According to Minister Massiah,
“As an island which naturally is surrounded by water with a strong fishing
tradition, we see such a symposium in our best interest so that our people at
home can understand in greater detail the issues which the international
community are concerned about and why it is that we have formed certain
alliances in the interest of the people of Antigua/Barbuda and in the interest
of the people of the Caribbean,”
One of the co-ordinators of the symposium, fisheries expert Daven Joseph of
Antigua and Barbuda says anti-whaling groups and conservationists have lobbied
vigorously and in some cases resorted to threats of intimidation, tourist
boycotts and violence against Caribbean fishers for the region’s position on
whaling and its support for other nations who harvest marine mammals for
commercial use. Mr. Joseph says the region’s efforts at defending its position
should be taken up with similar determination.
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