Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Sample Clauses

Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Fisheries in Haiti fall into three categories: 1) inland freshwater fisheries, 2) aquaculture, and 3) marine fisheries. They are led by the DFAQ, under the MARNDR, which focuses most of its limited resources on agriculture. The DFAQ has limited staff and most of their efforts are in the south, where several international projects are based, deploying important resources. More proactive leadership is needed to promote fisheries and management in the DFAQ, in order to put fisheries at a priority level to receive greater support at the MARNDR. Reports from several official missions on fisheries indicate that the department is a difficult collaborator, as shown by difficulties in organizing meetings with staff, getting replies to internet queries, and receiving information about fisheries. The MARNDR should focus on strengthening the department, clarifying and revising laws and regulations, and creating a professional career pathway for mid- to upper-level managers. The central roles of the department should be to create a workable institutional framework, provide technical support to fishers and fish farmers, and help the private sector develop sustainable fisheries. In addition, a Monitoring, Surveillance and Control (MSC) program for Haiti’s waters is needed. Such a program could reduce IUU (illegal, unreported, unregulated) fishing. The scale of IUU in Haiti is unknown, but it is an enormous problem globally, with an estimated $US 10–24 billion worth of fish caught illegally worldwide. This is the equivalent of 11–25 million tons of fish (World Bank/FAO, 2008; Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism, 2013). Without an operational Coast Guard to carry out MCS, the degree of IUU fishing off Haiti’s coasts cannot be determined. No data have been recorded on fish catch or production; thus, there are no fisheries statistics available. A census and registry of fishermen was called for in the Fisheries Law of 1977, but has not been completed. No efforts have been made to carry out research, nor is there a plan for professional career development of government officials to encourage them to work on fisheries. Co-management in fisheries should be at the core of the mission statement of the fisheries department. The sharing of power and responsibility between government and local resource users was not acceptable in 1977 when the Fisheries Law was established, because the law was created under dictatorial leadership. However, 38 years have passed, and all progressive...