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CARICOM-US discuss threat of lawsuit over queen conch, and IUU fishing

Conch

Belize City, Friday, 27 May 2016 (CRFM)—Officials from the Caribbean Community and the United States advanced talks in Washington last week at the 7th Annual Meeting of the CARICOM-US Trade and Investment Council, on several key concerns affecting trade between the US and the region, chief among then being the treat of a lawsuit by US-based NGOs over the harvesting of queen conch for trade.

The threat of suit is of great concern to the region, which exports roughly US$185 million worth of conch meat a year to the US.
In February 2016, WildEarth Guardians and Friends of Animals notified the Secretary of Commerce and the Administrator of NOAA of their intention to sue the Department of Commerce, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Marine Fisheries Service / NOAA Fisheries, and their officers and directors over the Government’s decision back in 2014 not to list the queen conch as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), which was represented at the meeting by its executive director, Milton Haughton, maintained that the petition is unjustified, as it is based on outdated and erroneous information. A listing that the species is endangered would result in an outright ban, while a listing that it is threatened would lead to more stringent export regulations, among other measures.
The NGO which wants to challenge the decision of the US federal authorities is reputed to have a 77% success rate in lawsuits against the US Government. In studying the impact of litigation by the NGO, US researchers, Dr. Ryan M. Yonk of the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice at the Southern Utah University and Dr. Randy T. Simmons of the Department of Economics and Finance at Utah State University, found that the litigation, which has mostly been over land issues in the US, could jeopardize industries representing over US$3 billion in local economies. However, US authorities have indicated that they will defend their position on the queen conch. CARICOM States will, meanwhile, be monitoring this situation closely.
At the Washington meeting, the parties also discussed US measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and their potential impact on our region. A Presidential Task Force was established two years ago to develop recommendations for “a Comprehensive Framework to Combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing and Seafood Fraud.”
CARICOM notes that the new measures being introduced to combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud could have significant negative consequences for the export of fish and seafood from CARICOM to the US market, since importers in the USA and by extension exporters from CARICOM countries targeting the US market, would be required to implement administrative systems to certify that fish and fishery products entering the US market are not from IUU sources.
However, the measures being implemented by the United States could also create opportunities for fish and fish products exported from the region, by reducing the occurrence of IUU fishing in our region by third States and unfair competition.
In the recent meeting, CARICOM officials laid out both their concerns and expectations to the US representatives, including the need for support for fish traders and Government Fisheries departments so that they could make the necessary reforms to comply with the new US requirements for international trade.

Saint Lucia implements open ship registry

Port Services

The island is expected to gain several benefits from the implementation of an open ship registry.

The Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA), after a thorough review of the Shipping Amendment Act, is pleased to announce that Saint Lucia has taken the decision to implement an Open Ship Registry.
An open ship registry allows companies or persons from another country to register their vessels under that nation’s flag. Registering a ship gives nationality to the ship and similar to nationality allows the ship to travel internationally wherever that country’s citizens are authorized to travel and thus are bound by the country’s laws. Every vessel that wants to travel internationally and cross international borders must be registered.
The Director of Maritime Affairs, Mr. Christopher Alexander said that “the process has not been an easy one, and although the decision has been made to implement the open ship registry, changes have to be made to our current legislation to ensure that the full benefits of the open ship registry are realized.”
The island is expected to gain several benefits from the implementation of an open ship registry. These are and not limited to employment of seafarers, increased revenue from taxes and fees, provision of legal services, and expansion and growth of maritime services. Additionally, apart from the obvious economic benefits, an increase in the quantum of ships registered will result in Saint Lucia having greater prominence and representation internationally, particularly at meetings of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
There are other regulations which are currently being reviewed and exciting changes are expected in the near future which will benefit the maritime sector and Saint Lucians alike.

Trade Minister receives courtesy call from Cuban government officials

Cuba
Minister of Trade and Industry, the Honourable Paula Gopee-Scoon (2nd from right) presents a token to the Honourable Ileana Bárbara Núñez Mordoche, Vice Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment, Cuba (l), while His Excellency Mr. Guillermo Vázquez Moreno, Cuban Ambassador (r) looks on (Photo Courtesy The Ministry of Trade and Industry)

May 27, 2016: Senator the Honourable Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry, on Friday 27th May, 2016, received a courtesy call from the Honourable Ileana Bárbara Núñez Mordoche, Vice Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment, Cuba.

During the hour long meeting, the Honourable Núñez Mordoche noted that Cuba is committed to ‘moving the bilateral trade relations’; sentiments which Trade Minister Gopee-Scoon echoed with the words ‘definitely we must improve our trading levels’. Trinidad and Tobago’s Trade Facilitation Office in Cuba also came in for high praise by the visiting Cuban delegation. The cordial discussions centered key issues of mutual interest for the two countries.
Minister Gopee-Scoon was presented with an official invitation to the Havana Trade Show, carded for November this year.

Minister of Trade in cordial discussions with the Cuban delegation
Minister of Trade in cordial discussions with the Cuban delegation

Minister of Trade
Minister of Trade (c) commands the attention of the Cuban delegation and other senior Government officials present at the meeting

Interventions underway for coconut and pineapple industries

Pineapple Plantlets

Things are looking up for the pineapple and coconut subsectors according to reports from the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Harold Guiste.

Guiste stated that the agriculture sector in Dominica is undergoing a transition from a mono-crop economy to a more diversified approach.
At a Farmers Forum in October 2015, officials of the Ministry of Agriculture revealed that more investments would be made in other crops in addition to bananas.
Under the Banana Accompanying Measures (BAM) Programme, a large investment has been made in pineapples.
Due to efforts by the Nature Island Pineapple Producers Association, NIPPA, the Ministry of Agriculture purchased over 40,000 tissue culture pineapple plantlets.
These are being weaned and hardened at the smart greenhouse in Portsmouth and then distributed to NIPPA members.
“We’re going to have a lot of pineapples,” Guiste enthused.
The Permanent Secretary revealed that NIPPA is already exploring marketing options for pineapples. He presented several production ideas for the crop.
“We’re talking with a French company who wants to do pineapple juice and sparkling pineapple wine which are both very promising. So there is a lot happening in the agriculture sector.”
Meantime, Guiste acknowledges that coconut production is not yet at the desired level but the Ministry is optimistic.
With the closure of Dominica Coconut Products Factory, farmers are having difficulty selling copra, however the coconut water business is growing.
“The coconut trees which we have for oil at the moment are tall and old, they have been there for years. There is a programme on the way to rehabilitate them. CARDI is working on the industry rehabilitation. There is also a Caribbean programme funded by the European Union for expansion of the coconut industry in the region.”
Currently the coconut industry in the region is not doing its best and this requires urgent attention.
“We are paying attention to coconut in a bigger way this time and the approach is to use the whole nut and tree. With this new thrust for coconuts, we are looking at virgin coconut oil, traditional coconut oil, animal feed, charcoal making, mats, lumber and other things.”

Du Boulay’s receives regional award

Du Boulay, investor of the year award

The manufacturing company is named among top regional investors.

Du Boulay’s Bottling Company has been recognized as one of the top investors in the region, having emerged winner in the Local Investor of the Year category at this year’s Regional Investor of the Year Awards (RIYA).
The RIYA is a collaborative initiative that seeks to recognize and promote the contribution of foreign and local investors to the Caribbean economy. Du Boulay’s beat out two other nominees: Chocolate Dreams Ltd. from Jamaica, and Bowjay from Guyana, to win the category title.
The overall award of Regional Investor of the Year was captured by Kikaboni (Healthy Flow Agro-industrial SRL), a healthy snack manufacturing company from the Dominican Republic which became the first company in the world to produce healthy snacks using Moringa Oleifera as one of their main ingredients.
Speaking at the conclusion of the ceremony held earlier this month during the Caribbean Investment Summit in Miami, Dunstan Du Boulay, Managing Director of the local bottling company conveyed his appreciation to the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA) and the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA) for naming the Company as the Local Investor of the Year.
“I wish to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to you and your team for the many courtesies extended during my attendance at the 2016 Caribbean Investment Summit in Miami, which for me was a great experience, the memories of which will be with me for years to come and for which I wish to thank you all.”
CAIPA President and CEO of Invest Saint Lucia McHale Andrew, who also attended the Summit, remarked that this latest award is testimony to the fact that Saint Lucia’s manufacturing sector is on a growth trajectory.
“The manufacturing industry in Saint Lucia accounts for approximately five percent of the island’s gross domestic product and employs about six percent of our workforce. The companies within this sector including Du Boulay’s, Baron Foods, Viking Traders, St. Lucia Distillers and Windward and Leeward Brewery Limited continue to receive international recognition and numerous accolades for their brands. We anticipate that over the next two to three years, the manufacturing sector will be further expanded with the introduction of a new flour mill in Vieux-Fort, a chicken processing plant in Dennery and the expansion of Antillia Brewing Company to a full-fledged brewery, with the intention to export within and outside of the region. These prospects can only augur well for the sector and the country overall.”
The Caribbean Investment Summit was funded and co-organized by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Caribbean Export Development Agency and Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA) as part of a Regional Public Goods Initiative titled “Support to Foreign Direct Investment in the Caribbean”. The event targeted more than 100 investors and site selection intermediaries from the US market who were given an opportunity to learn about investment ready projects in the participating CAIPA member countries.
Participating countries included Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and the Turks & Caicos Islands.

Trade Ministry to host visiting Venezuelan Government Officials

Ministry of Trade and Industry
Photo Courtesy Ministry of Trade and Industry

May 27, 2016: A team of six senior Government Officials from Venezuela’s Trade and Commerce Ministry will visit the country from Tuesday 31st May, 2016.

This follows the visit by His Excellency Nicolás Maduro, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to Trinidad on Monday 23rd May, 2016 and his commitment to purchase goods from Trinidad and Tobago in the sum of US$50 million.
Senator the Honourable Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry will lead the discussions, which will be focused on finalizing the list of manufactured products and the modalities of the export arrangements to Venezuela to facilitate easy passage of the goods from Trinidad to Venezuela, and also payment for goods shipped.
The Trinidad and Tobago delegation will include representatives from the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs; Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries; Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce; Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association; Export-Import Bank of Trinidad and Tobago; and exporTT Limited.
The visiting team is also scheduled to visit various manufacturers’ plant operations to see first-hand their capabilities.

LUCELEC and SPISE fulfilling science dreams of Saint Lucian whiz kids

SPISE

Castries, May 27, 2016 – For gifted Saint Lucian science students, the national avenue to showcase their skill is the Science and Technology Fair organized by the Ministry of Education with sponsorship from the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC).

This year, LUCELEC contributed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) to the event that was held in March.  The longstanding partnership between the Science Fair and LUCELEC has also led to the company paying the admission fee of a Saint Lucian student chosen for the Student Programme for Innovation in Science and Engineering (SPISE) organized by the Caribbean Science Foundation.
SPISE is an intensive four-week enrichment residential summer programme for Caribbean high-school students. It is designed to harness science and technology for the diversification of the economies of the region and is held every summer on the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill campus in Barbados.
And although a relatively young programme, the Saint Lucians who have attended to date are already blazing trails. They include Ravindra Mangar and Kesan Samuel who were the first Saint Lucians to attend the programme which began in 2012. Kesan Samuel earned the Most Improved Calculus Student Award when she attended SPISE and will begin attending the University of Connecticut later this year. Mangar is now engaged in an internship organized by the SPISE programme at BossaNova Robotics in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He has also applied to several top US universities, including the prestigious MIT.
In 2013, two Saint Lucian students were chosen to attend SPISE. The first was Chris Jean-Baptiste whose enrolment was sponsored by Barbados Light and Power through their relationship with LUCELEC. The second applicant was Gaius St Marie who was too young and therefore deferred to 2014 when LUCELEC paid for his participation. St. Marie is currently in his first year at St. Mary’s University in Halifax where he is pursuing a degree in Biotechnology. Earlier this month, he received a Chemistry Award during his college’s 8th annual Chemistry Awards and Recognition Reception.
Excellence is also the order of the day for Quilee Simeon, who was the LUCELEC-sponsored participant in the SPISE Internship Programme in 2015.  Simeon is currently completing his final year at the Division of Arts Science and General Studies at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College where he has maintained his position on the Dean’s List. And while he will take a year off from school to work before applying for university, the SPISE programme has secured him an internship at Foursquare Rum Distillery in Barbados over the summer of 2016.   Simeon is interested in a career in neuroscience or biochemistry.
The curriculum at SPISE includes university-level courses in calculus, physics, biochemistry, entrepreneurship and Caribbean Unity. Students also participate in a career seminar series where they hear first-hand about the career paths, decisions and experiences of eminent professionals in science and engineering from the diaspora and the region.
A former Math professor, Education Minister Dr Robert Lewis has lauded the SPISE programme and has commended LUCELEC for sponsoring the tuition of Saint Lucian students accepted into the programme.
“LUCELEC has consistently been the main sponsor or contributor and I really want to thank LUCELEC for this because [SPISE] is opening doors to young, talented science students in the region to go to Cave Hill during the summer to engage in additional work,” he says.
Eleven (11) Saint Lucian students have applied for SPISE 2016 to be held from July 16 to August 13. LUCELEC has already committed to sponsoring the chosen student. Twenty (20) students from around the region are expected to attend this year’s programme.

Gaius Hendrickson St. Marie
Gaius Hendrickson St. Marie

Ravindra Mangar
Ravindra Mangar

Never too early to think about a career

Career Showcase
Senator Harry Husbands; Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, Senator Patrick Todd and Wesley Hall Junior students visiting the display both of the Barbados Port Authority at today's Career Showcase. (C.Pitt/BGIS)

It is never too early to think about a career, says Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Senator Harcourt Husbands.

Addressing the Careers Showcase at his alma mater, Wesley Hall Junior School, Senator Husbands said those in Class Four had to think now about what they wanted to do when they left school.
“Maybe your mind may change a little later but certainly at this stage it is never too early to be thinking about what you want to do when you leave school because those years are going to fly by extremely quickly,” he advised.
Pointing out that it would not be easy to choose a career, Senator Husbands noted that opportunities existed not only in Barbados but regionally and worldwide.
Adding that it took hard work to seize these opportunities, he urged the students and their visiting peers from St. Ambrose and Eagles Academy to remember most of the careers on display would require Science and Mathematics, and to therefore pay special attention to these subjects in secondary school. He also reminded those intending to seize opportunities outside, that there was a need to learn a foreign language.
Meanwhile, Principal Herbert Gittens said the aim of the Careers Showcase was to mould students into well-rounded individuals who would be able to function wherever they went in the world.
The event was held under the theme: Pride and Industry: Productivity Is Everyone’s Responsibility. Among the exhibits were careers from the Royal Barbados Police Force, Invest Barbados, the Media Resource Department, the Nation Publishing Co. Ltd, Barbados Water Authority and the Barbados Port Authority.

Barbados remains committed to Guyana

Steve Blackett
Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Steve Blackett. (FP)

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Steve Blackett, yesterday reiterated Barbados’ commitment to maintaining “good and constructive” relations between this country and Guyana.

He did so while delivering an address at a reception to mark Guyana’s 50th Anniversary of Independence at the Consulate General of Guyana, “Sefton Lodge”, Brittons Cross Road, St. Michael.
“We recognise that the Barbados-Guyana relationship, like all other relationships in life, requires work if we are to maintain it.
“Let me state categorically that we are prepared to do the necessary work to maintain what we consider to be a special relationship which exists between our two countries. We will continue to seize every opportunity to collaborate on matters of mutual concern and benefit to our people,” Mr. Blackett stressed.
The Minister added that the “real measure” of the relationship between the countries was built on a bilateral foundation.
“Our two Governments in 2002 signed an important Agreement for the Deepening of Bilateral Cooperation. This agreement has served to strengthen the traditional ties of friendship and signify our shared determination to deepen the diplomatic relationship between our two countries in the areas of trade, investment, marine affairs, tourism, air services, education, agriculture, sports, culture, and youth affairs,” he said.
Noting that Barbados was also celebrating 50 years of existence this year, the acting Minister added that Guyanese investors played a critical role in the early post-independence development of the Barbadian private sector.
He also highlighted “cross migration”, which predated independence, and a trading relationship between the two countries as being particularly beneficial to Barbados’ growth.
Mr. Blackett further stated that the friendship between the two countries was evidenced by the fact that Barbados’ Prime Minister, Freundel Stuart, was recently awarded the Order of Roraima, which is Guyana’s second highest national award.
Barbados and Guyana established diplomatic relations on November 30, 1966.

192 newly-skilled youth join local human resource

Youth Skills Graduation

Close to 200 young men and women graduated from several training modules on Wednesday, May 25th as part of the 43rd graduation ceremony of the Youth Skills Training Program.

The Skills Training Programme is facilitated by the Youth Development Division on behalf of the Youth Ministry.
At the ceremony, Youth Skills Training Instructor, Caesarina Paul, gave a status report on the tracer study conducted by the Division on the programme’s impact.
“This event represents 34 years of social and economic empowerment of Dominica youth through this timely and efficiently-managed facility which has become a household name in Dominica.
“A glimpse of the Skills Training Programme 2014/2015 tracer study indicates that 174 graduates from all the youth development districts have been afforded entry level skills which have positively impacted their socio-economic circumstances.
“In the western district, for example, 16.7%; in the east, 15%; in the north-east, 13.8%; in the south-east 1.2%; in the south, 12%; in the north, 8% and in the Roseau area, 33.3%,” Paul reported.
The training modules completed were computer literacy, electrical wiring, plumbing, auto body repair, cosmetology, sewing and woodwork.
Representing the Hon. Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit was Minister for Information, Telecommunications and Technology Hon. Kelver Darroux.
“Over the last several years, the Youth Development Division has displayed a high level of competence as it relates to developing the minds of our young people across the country.
“A skills training programme of any country is of utmost importance. When people say that Government is not doing anything for young people, this afternoon is an indication of a serious investment of Government in the lives of the youth.
“Here we are seeing over 190 young men and women graduating with various skill sets. They can then go back to their communities and make meaningful contributions to the development of their country.”
Minister for Youth, Hon. Justina Charles, had this message to the graduates.
She appealed, “I want to encourage you to please remain focused. Do not to allow the things around you to distract you. While they may look lucrative, there can be consequences that are far-reaching and can be life long. I really want to encourage you to embrace the opportunity. While you may not get employment now, do not be discouraged or impatient. Work with the skills which you have received until eventually, you grow. There are opportunities for all the skills [that you have learned].
“Find every opportunity to use the hands so you remember the skill; associate yourself with people who can help you to grow further as much as possible.
“We, as Government, will continue to invest in you. We believe that you have what it takes to continue in the development thrust of this country so we will continue to invest but it is incumbent on you to make the best of it.”

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