Caribbean Fisheries Mechanism pens agreement with OECS, UWI

The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) officially established its inaugural bilateral agreement with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. The signing took place during the Sixteenth Special Meeting of the CRFM Ministerial Council, held in Saint Kitts and Nevis as part of Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA), an annual event organized by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat.

The agreement was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Dr. Marc Williams, the Executive Director of the CRFM Secretariat, and H.E. Dr. Didacus Jules, the Director General of the OECS. Dr. Williams emphasized the importance of this MoU, describing it as a pivotal step toward strengthening the longstanding relationship between the CRFM and the OECS—eight member states of the OECS are also part of the CRFM.

These nations include Dominica, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

“For many years, the CRFM and the OECS have collaborated on initiatives to support their respective Member States… The informal relationship has worked well for both the CRFM and the OECS, but there is a need to establish official relations,” Dr. Williams stated, commenting on the significance of the agreement.

“As a result, the signing of the MoU will initiate a collaboration that will guide and formalize cooperation between the CRFM and the OECS for the execution of related and relevant activities in specific areas of fisheries-related matters,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jules highlighted that the MoU, which is set to span from 2025 to 2028, “represents bringing the collaboration between the OECS and the CRFM to a whole new level. It covers governance and management of fisheries, providing support for further integration in the Blue Economy sector… building resilience, harmonization of safety at sea programs, insurance products for fishers, making available information and guidance to support fisheries research, and joint research initiatives, economic development for fisherfolk and communities… focusing on empowerment of youth and women in the fisheries value chain, agriculture and fisheries linkages, trade markets and business development.”

Additionally, on September 9, 2025, the CRFM entered into another MoU, this time with the University of the West Indies.

Dr. Williams signed on behalf of the CRFM, while Professor Carl Justin Robinson, Campus Principal of the UWI Five Islands Campus located in Antigua and Barbuda, signed for the university.

Dr. Williams stated that the five-year Memorandum of Understanding between the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) and the University of the West Indies (UWI), to be implemented via the UWI Five Island Campus in Antigua and Barbuda, with the assistance of the Centre of Excellence for Oceanography and the Blue Economy (COBE), aims to cultivate a collaborative partnership that benefits both parties academically and educationally.

The agreement focuses on areas of shared interest such as the advancement of the blue economy, marine spatial planning, climate change resilience, ecosystem sustainability, and efforts to mobilize resources.