The “Strategies, technologies, and social solutions to manage bycatch in tropical Large Marine Ecosystem Fisheries (REBYC-III CLME+)” project is supporting a study titled “Behavioural Change and Gear Management Measures for Effective Bycatch Reduction, Trinidad and Tobago.”

The study, which is being led by Dr. Sharon Hutchinson, Fisheries Economist, Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture (FFA), The University of the West Indies (UWI), is part of Component III of the REBYC-III CLME+ project and seeks to investigate, collect data, and information and analyse how bycatch in the artisanal gillnet fishery and the non-artisanal longline fishery in Trinidad and Tobago (TT) is utilised along the value chain.

Additionally, the study will map the relative roles of groups and individuals along the value chain by gender, highlighting potential or existing vulnerabilities. It will also focus on bottlenecks and inefficiencies, along with opportunities for new and improved seafood products.

A cost benefit analysis regarding the adoption of mitigation technologies and measures to manage bycatch and reduce discards will also be conducted, in addition to a knowledge attitude and practice (KAP) survey among fishers and fisheries stakeholders on the barriers to adoption and use of bycatch reduction technologies, methods of protection of Endangered, Threatened and Protected (ETP) species and Abandoned Lost Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) collection approaches and end products, in addition to other activities.

For this study, the target fisheries for TT are the pelagic longline fishery and the pelagic gillnet fishery. This initiative is designed to provide synergies with past and future development of gear and regulation in the TT fishery. Improvements in the fishery sector are expected to enhance local food security through links with the food, manufacturing, service and tourism sectors. New or enhanced products can also generate new local employment, foreign exchange via potential regional and international exports and the creation of spin-off products. This initiative will also utilise local indigenous knowledge, which can supplement traditional fishery knowledge.

A series of meetings commenced in June 2024 with Dr. Hutchinson and some members of her project team; Dr. Steve Eayrs, Lead Technical Advisor and international consultant for Component III, REBYC – III CLME+ project; and other project partners including the Fisheries Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, TT. Activities for the study are expected to commence in the first quarter of 2025.

The REBYC-III CLME+ projectis a USD5.3 million project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and executed by FFA, UWI.

It is being implemented over a 48-month period in Barbados, Guyana, Suriname, and TT. The objective of the REBYC-III CLME+ project, is to manage bycatch and reduce discards in the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems (CLME+) thereby promoting sustainable and responsible fisheries that provide economic opportunities while ensuring the conservation of marine living resources, and in doing so support country implementation of the CLME+ Strategic Action Plan.