In the tropical waters of the Caribbean, a team of committed CARIBSAVE scientists, island residents and businesses are working together on ecosystem-based adaptation to fortify reefs and fisheries against multiple threats.
C-FISH stands for the Caribbean Fish Sanctuary Partnership Initiative, and helps partners in five island states to manage and sustain more than a dozen marine reserves from the onslaught of overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction and climate change.
It’s a four-year project started in 2012 to give coastal communities the finance, technology and know-how they require to manage their marine sanctuaries effectively and sustainably.
It’s up and running in Jamaica and Grenada, with plans to expand to St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia and Dominica over the next three years, as opportunities arise.
The economies of Caribbean Islands rest on the health and diversity of fish life and coral reefs but these critical assets are under attack. So much so that in many places, once-abundant reef species like parrotfish and lobsters have become scarce. Marine sanctuaries are a proven way of bringing those species back - they give fish and reefs the space and time to recover and rebuild. In some cases, fish life within a protected area can increase 20 fold within a few years, replenishing both stocks inside and outside the reserve. And these bigger populations mean a greater ability to breed and a much better chance of surviving environmental shocks.
But the assault on the ecosystem is not just about the environment – it has a direct impact on the livelihoods of the many people who make a living in fisheries and tourism. Depletion has led to unemployment for local residents and in some cases a vicious cycle of poverty and crime.
Our goal, then, is to help those with the most to lose – fisherfolk, tourism operators and families – become the ones with the most to gain from each reserve’s long-term future. This means finding ways for people to make a living from the reserves being utilised sustainably as well as creating new opportunities for employment.
C-FISH exists to provide communities’ training, funding and know-how to maintain the sanctuaries and generate income from them, whether it’s through crafts and community-based tours or monitoring and patrolling the protected areas. Further, we work with big companies in the tourism industry to encourage them to contribute ideas and expertise, so that tourists can assist the coastal communities by supporting local jobs and sanctuary management. The companies can provide further support by making donations through the C-FISH Fund.
C-FISH is funded by UKaid from the Department for International Development (DFID) through the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC). The project is being managed by The CARIBSAVE Partnership.
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For further details about this initiative, visit the C-FISH website: www.c-fish.org; or contact the Project Director, Dr Owen Day at owen.day@caribsave.org.
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The Caribbean Fish Sanctuary Partnership Initiative (C-FISH) is a 4-year project (2012-2016) being implemented by CARIBSAVE and aimed at strengthening 15 community-based fish sanctuaries in Jamaica, St Lucia, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica by providing resources, training and alternative livelihood opportunities.
The objectives of the C-FISH are:
- To provide financial and technical support for the management of community-based fish sanctuaries.
- To implement innovative communication and fund-raising strategies that engage a wide circle of regional and international stakeholders in supporting the sustainability and resilience of Caribbean fishing communities and coastal ecosystems.
- To develop a micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) programme, that includes capacity-building, training and access to markets (e.g. for crafts and tours), as a fund-raising mechanism for fish sanctuaries and as an opportunity to promote alternative livelihoods and build mutually beneficial linkages between the tourism sector and local communities.
- To implement a collaborative research programme to develop a new tool (the “Aquacam” Research Programme) for monitoring fish populations inside fish sanctuaries.
The project will establish a partnership with large companies in the tourism sector and a new fund, the C-FISH Fund, to encourage the engagement of the tourism sector in supporting Caribbean fish sanctuaries and the sustainable livelihoods in coastal communities. C-FISH is funded by UKaid from the Department for International Development (DFID) through the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC). The CARIBSAVE Partnership is implementing the project on behalf of DFID and the CCCCC.
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