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Regional Fisheries Ministers have been deliberating on the management of the region’s flying fish.

Dominica’s Fisheries Minister Hon. Dr. Kenneth Darroux attended the Caribbean Ministers of fisheries Council Meeting in Trinidad last week. The meeting was convened by the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM).

The Ministers reviewed the urgent governance and management issues challenging the seven Caribbean countries currently harvesting the flying fish.

“The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the management of the flying fish. As we are aware the Caribbean form a chain of islands and marine resources are highly migratory species. We have to collaborate in an effort to manage this resource properly, because whatever one country does that has an adverse effect on that particular species it is going to affect the fishing stocks of the other Caribbean countries” Hon. Darroux explained.

The meeting was called primarily to inform the Ministers of Fisheries of the CARICOM Community on work done so far by the various groups and expert organizations on the management of the flying fish. The meeting also looked at issues relating to migration, pollution, climate change and global warming.

Guadeloupe and Martinique are important participants in the flying fish fishery in the Caribbean.

Hon. Darroux said the meeting emphasized the need for closer cooperation with France at all levels, to ensure coordinated and concerted action for sustainable use, conservation and management of the flying fish resources and other shared fish stocks.

“Also coming out of this meeting was the role that the French overseas departments should play in helping the rest of CARICOM member states in managing our marine resources. While Guadeloupe and Martinique remains overseas departments of France, we have to include them in our discussions,” Hon. Darroux noted.

The Fisheries ministers used the meeting to call upon countries to ensure that consultations with stakeholders at the national level are held and the updating of the draft fisheries management plan for the flying fish are completed in a timely manner.

The final plan is expected to be submitted to the sub-committee for endorsement at its next sitting in May 2013 in Barbados.