FISHING INDUSTRY RECEIVES HIGH PRAISE

Barbados’ fishing industry has earned praise from a senior official at the Food and Agriculture Organization, who says the island’s cooperative approach and investment in fish waste processing could serve as a model for the wider Caribbean.

Speaking during a tour of the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex on Tuesday, Assistant Director-General Rene Orellana Halkyer said he was particularly impressed by the level of organisation linking fisherfolk, vendors and families throughout the fisheries value chain.

“We were very surprised because of the way the fishermen, as well as the families of the fisheries, are very well organised,” he said, noting that the system demonstrated how collaboration within the sector could generate “important economic opportunities”.

Halkyer also pointed to Barbados’ growing investment in fish silage projects, which convert fish waste into animal feed and fertiliser products, as an example the wider Caribbean could follow.

“We have also visited and been informed about the projects regarding processing and production of fertilizers using fish silage, which is a good example for the rest of the region,” he said.

He stressed that transforming fish waste into fertiliser was becoming increasingly important as global fertiliser prices continue to rise because of instability in the Middle East, adding that such value-added industries could also create export opportunities for Barbados’ fishing sector.