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Minister of Fisheries, Marine and Land Conservation and Climate Resilience Honorable Conroy Huggins and Senior Fisheries Officer Kris Isaacs attended the United Nations of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Second Session of the Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management from 23rd – 27th February 2026 in Reykjavik Iceland.

The Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management is a forum for discussing fisheries management issues at a global level and deals with technical and policy matters in line with the mission of the FAO. The forum provides the opportunity for active collaboration with relevant regional and international organizations, countries, stakeholder groups, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as for forging new collaborations on fisheries matters.

Minister Huggins used the opportunity to discuss matters relevant to managing fishing fleet capacity, as well as addressing the social dimensions of fisheries management through the lens of small island vulnerable states.

In one of his addresses to the forum, he stated that “the management of fishing fleet capacity is vital to ensuring the sustainable use of marine resources, balancing fishing effort with the productive capacity of local stocks, and protecting the long-term livelihoods of not only stakeholders within the fishing industry, but also coastal communities.” He reminded attendees that although Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was impacted by recent natural disasters (the volcanic eruption in 2021 and Hurricane Beryl in 2024), Vincentians are a resilient people. With the recent formation of the new Ministry of Fisheries, Marine and Land Conservation and Climate Resilience, the Government has pledged to use the fisheries sector not only to grow the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but also to improve the livelihoods of Vincentians.

In another address, Minister Huggins spoke about addressing the social dimensions of fisheries management in Caribbean states such as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, noting that fisheries go beyond ecological and economic systems to include the culture and everyday lives of our people. He reaffirmed the commitment of the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to integrating social science with ecological management to build even greater resilience within the fisheries sector, and to align sustainable fisheries governance with the needs and capacities of Vincentian fisherfolk.

Minister of Fisheries, Marine and Land Conservation and Climate Resilience, Honorable Conroy Huggins, and Senior Fisheries Officer Kris Isaacs attended the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Second Session of the Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management from 23rd–27th February 2026 in Reykjavik, Iceland.

SOURCE: Agency For Public Information (API)