CAMAC project phase 1 closing workshop |Sanctuaire pour les mammifères marins Agoa

Caraïbe

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Phase 1 of the CAMAC project is coming to an end, and a one-day closing workshop was held on Saturday November 4th 2023. It was held in Nassau, Bahamas, in conjunction with the 76th Gulf and Caribbean fisheries Institute (GCFI) conference, bringing together Caribbean marine scientists, fisheries and marine protected area managers and Caribbean fishing professionals.

The aim of the workshop was to bring together CAMAC partners and other Caribbean stakeholders specialising in fisheries and/or megafauna in the Caribbean and the Guiana Shield (national and international fisheries and species monitoring and management institutions, fisheries committees, veterinarians, academics and NGOs) to discuss and validate the main results of phase 1 of CAMAC and to look ahead to phase 2 of the project.

Review of actions

In the morning, the project coordinators and experts in CAMAC's areas of work took stock of the work carried out this year: reviewing information, building partnerships, identifying protocols, and so on.

Methods and actions adapted to the Caribbean context were also presented. Two presentations in particular focused on the monitoring of incidental catches of megafauna: the ByRa method for identifying areas of overlap between species and fisheries, and the CFR (Collaborative Fisheries Research) approach, which highlights the active participation of fishermen in the process of assessing fishing activity. Two other expert presentations focused on technical training on marine mammal strandings in 8 Caribbean territories via the CAMAC project.

Local needs to be considered in phase 2

In the afternoon, 4 round tables were held, both in person and by videoconference. These dealt with fishing-megafauna interactions, stranding training and the denhancement of scientific knowledge on marine mammals, seabirds, sharks and rays. Using participatory tools, participants were able to discuss their experience of their local area and their local needs. The wide-ranging discussions led to the identification of a series of actions adapted to the needs of the Caribbean. These will feed into the various CAMAC action plans for phase 2 of the project.

Over the day, many connections were made between the participants. Many of them recognised common experiences and issues, despite working in different fields.
The workshop was therefore a success with a view to improving regional collaboration. The discussions will continue throughout the week for the face-to-face participants attending the GCFI conference.

The minutes of the workshop will be available here shortly.