
Fisherfolk unite to call for improved fishing facilities on
Trinidad’s
north coast
Port
of Spain,
December 03, 2104 – “Fishermen need to organise themselves into cooperatives and associations to make certain claims and demands and for them to be heard”. This was one of the messages from fisherfolk along the north
coast of Trinidad. Fisherfolk from the Matura to Matelot area worked together to create a participatory video that highlighted the challenges they faced with inadequate fishing facilities. They pointed out that many of these fishing facilities are developed
without fisherfolk’s input in their design. Poor maintenance has also resulted in insufficient security and lost livelihoods.
Fisherfolk along the north coast of Trinidad took part in a three day workshop in August to create a participatory video about a major issue that affected them. They chose to present the effect of inadequate facilities
on their livelihoods. The workshop was facilitated by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute and Nature Seekers, which also provided technical assistance. Fisherfolk crafted the messages, drew the storyboard, captured the images, chose the music and learnt
to edit videos. The final editing was completed by Kyle Mitchell of Nature Seekers. The video can be seen on YouTube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw4Tffu4tZQ.

Figure 1: A fisher shows the facility in Cumana.
August 2014.
This was an activity in the four- year project “Strengthening Caribbean fisherfolk to participate in governance” that is funded by The European Union EuropeAid
programme. The project is being implemented by CANARI, in partnership with the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) of
the University of the West Indies and Panos Caribbean in association with the Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk
Organisations (CNFO) and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM).
END
About
CANARI
The
Caribbean
Natural Resources
Institute
is
a regional
technical
non-profit
organisation
which
has
been working
in
the
islands
of the
Caribbean
for
more
than
20
years.
Our
mission
is to
promote
equitable
participation
and
effective
collaboration
in
managing
natural resources
critical
to
development.
Our
programmes
focus
on
research,
sharing and
dissemination
of
lessons
learned,
capacity
building
and fostering regional
partnerships.
Connect with us:
For
further
information,
please
contact:
Terrence Phillips, Senior Technical Officer at
[log in to unmask] or +1-868-626-6062.
Submitted on December 03, 2014