Seventeenth Special Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM)

It is my distinct pleasure, as Chair of the CRFM Ministerial Council, to welcome you to the Seventeenth Special Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), as we gather during the 20th Caribbean Week of Agriculture here in Jamaica.

This year’s theme, “The New F.A.C.E. of Caribbean Food Systems,” speaks directly to our work—Food Security, Agri-Business, Climate-Smart Technologies and Export Expansion. Fisheries and the blue economy must remain an integral part of each of these pillars.

Our fisheries sector contributes not only to food and nutrition security, but also to livelihoods, trade and the economic resilience of our coastal communities. Yet we continue to face challenges from climate change, marine resource pressures, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and changing market conditions.

Our task today, therefore, is not simply to discuss these challenges, but to advance practical regional solutions. Let us use this meeting to strengthen cooperation, embrace innovation and ensure that our decisions translate into tangible benefits for our fisherfolk, our communities and the wider Caribbean.

I look forward to productive and action-oriented deliberations.

Thank you, and I wish us a successful Seventeenth Special Meeting.