Business View Caribbean - Mar 2024

OPENING L INES Source- thecaribbeannewsnow.com , Caribbean New Editor, First Published 15th March, 2024 A technical working group of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), the Continental Shelf Fisheries Working Group (CSWG), is collaborating with the global value chain development programme FISH4ACP, private sector processors, and the Seabob Working Groups of Guyana and Suriname to convene a joint stock assessment workshop in Guyana from 11 to 15 March 2024. The assessment of the seabob, a short-lived shallow water shrimp found in the Western Central Atlantic, will cover the stocks of Guyana and Suriname,situated in the North Brazilian Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem. The assessment aims to review and validate the most recent scientific evaluations of the Atlantic seabob fisheries of Suriname and Guyana.The results will be shared with industrial and artisanal fishery stakeholders from Guyana and Suriname for their input during the last two days of the workshop, on 14-15 March 2024. During the workshop, regional and international technical experts will propose harvest control rules (HCRs) and the related fisheries management plans, considering compliance with Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification requirements.The seabob fisheries in Guyana and Suriname are MSC-certified; Suriname’s fishery was first certified in 2011, and Guyana’s fishery was certified in 2019. The Seabob Working Groups of Guyana and Suriname—made up of representatives from the respective Fisheries Departments, the industrial and artisanal seabob sectors, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)—will subsequently lead the implementation 11 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 11, ISSUE 03