Posted by 
Andrew Magloire, Chief Fisheries Officer
The Fisheries Division will be holding the closing ceremony for Thirty-one participants including three regional Fisheries Officers one each from Antigua, Nevis and St. Kitts who successfully completed the one Basic Fisherman Training Course (BFTC).
Dominica is the only OECS country that has a mandatory entrant’s course for fishers and prospective fishers entering the fishers sector. This BFTC is being looked at as a model for the OECS region and one of the goals of this regional training is to have participating countries develop a programme like this one in their country using our model.
The ceremony will be held at the conference room of the Roseau Fisheries Complex from 3.00pm this Friday May 14th, 2010.
The closing ceremony will also be attended by the Honorable Dr. Kenneth Darroux Minister for Environment, Natural Resources, Physical Planning and Fisheries.
Japanese Representatives will also be in attendance as part of the handing over of a boat to the Fisheries Division and the lunching of the Basic Fisherman Training Course Manual.
The goal of the BFTC is to develop a higher level of competency and skill in fishers, to meet the emerging realities of the fishing industry.
The objectives are:
Introduce fishers and investors to the industry, and basic requirements for accessing small business loans, and managing their small business enterprise.
Train fishers to understand fish behaviour, and fishing gear and methods technology.
Conduct various aspects of Safety at Sea, boating safety training and navigation.
Improve fish handling techniques, processing and marketing.
Familiarize participants with the fisheries act and regulations.
Promote Fishermen Cooperative Development.
The Fisheries Sector is a vital source of food, employment and revenue generation. The over 1500 fishers operate an artisanal fishery in which they have many challenges in addressing the emerging realities of the industry. This course was designed to include all of the critical areas necessary for the survival of the fisherman and the Sector. It must be understood that, the fisherman is the captain, the mechanic, and everything else on his boat. Hence, the reason for the basic training in those key areas which facilitate the success of his livelihood.
With the many new entrants now “crossing the floor” from fig to fish, without any qualification or experience, the request for training has intensified. It had become necessary to put a mandatory programme in place covering the critical modules.
As mentioned earlier, the BFTC is as its name suggests, basic and is not meant to make an expert of participants. Though very holistic in nature, further training is recommended for persons requiring a higher level of skill or specialization. Attention is given to fishing as a natural renewable resource and not as an extracting industry. Fishing is taught as a business because of the major investments made, and participants are encouraged to accept the responsibility that comes with it.
Press release: Fisheries Division
