1. Background

St. Marks Fisher folk and Tourism Cooperative Society Ltd, referred to as the Coop was reconstituted in 2008 from the old St. Marks Fisheries Cooperative which had been inactive for some time. A tourism objective was added to the constitution to exploit tourism opportunities in the area. The Cooperative?s registration number is 76/82 and it s serves the geographic area of Point Michel, Soufriere, Gallion and Scott?s Head. Its administrative office is based in Scott?s Head. The Coop is managed by a Board of Directors (see Appendix I for details) comprising four officers and three members and holds monthly meetings of the Board and on average two meetings of the membership including an AGM.

Over the past three years the Coop has gone through some difficult times (loss of key members, under resourcing, lack of commitment by the authorities) but is now at a stage to increase its activities. This has come about by the cohesiveness of its Board of Directors, the completion of an office by the customization of a 40 feet container and the retailing of machine oil and gasoline from Petro Caribe, an initiative of the government of Dominica.

Through this project the cooperative is expected to grow with increased capacity, new skills and wider participation and networking.

2. Justification

The overarching theme is the maintenance of livelihoods and increasing employment.
The St. Marks area by way of registered fishermen, number of boats and fishing equipment is one of the largest fishing areas in Dominica, however, when viewed against published figures (2011 - Marigot 287,304 lbs, Portsmouth 257,743 lbs, Scott?s Head 171,694,overall 1,465,676 lbs) the area is under performing in terms of ?fish landings?. It ranks behind Marigot and Portsmouth. Fishers in the Marigot area depend largely on Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) with ready access to at least eight FADs. Fishers in St.Marks have ready access to about two FADs.

The project comprises a number of sub projects centered on the construction and deployment of FADs. Towards this end five FADs will be constructed and deployed. It is envisaged this will lead to an increase in the frequency of fishers going to sea because of the expectation of assured catches.
Increasing fish catch could potentially lead to periodic over supply on the market with the knock on effect of price deflation and a reduction of fishers going to sea.
The sub project of market development would address the potential increase catch in the local market and in conjunction with the Fisheries Division and NAFCOOP examine the potential for the export of fish. Another component of market development would be the construction and deployment of a prototype smoker for fish smoking such as marlin and trigger fish which are ideal for that purpose.

The sub project of acquiring a fully equipped boat powered by an environmentally friendly 4-stroke engine would serve the dual purpose of creating employment by deploying non-boat owning fishers whilst being a source of income to the Co-op. The motor engine deployed would be environmentally friendlier in comparison to the 2-stroke engine in common use and would also consume less fuel.

This project will be implemented in a very strategic protected area, the Soufriere Scott?s Head Marine Reserve (SSMR). The SSMR was established under the Fisheries Act #11 of 1987 and by the statutory rules and orders (SRO) #18 of 1998. The Local Area Management Authority (LAMA) was established under SRO#17 of 1998. As a legal authority it is made up of various stakeholders relating to the enterprise, fishermen, the Village Council, Dominica Water Sport Association and the Fisheries Division and Cost Guard are ex officio members. The St Mark?s Co-operative will take a very proactive approach to participate fully in LAMA. The project will also be implemented within the legal authority?s framework, ensuring that it contributes to enhancing the environment and add value to the SSMR.

Throughout the project finalization and implementation, the Cooperative will work closely with partners to build on existing, and develop new linkages and networks with major stakeholders to maximize support and success.

The area is also a popular tourist destination with a sulphur spring, Segment One of the Witukubuli National Trail, Scott?s Head Beach and a marine reserve with world class snorkeling sites. One ?put off? for visitors is unsightly rubbish dumps and a sub project would address this matter. In addition, the locker room complex in Scott?s Head was constructed to provide vendor space for about ten vendor arcades. Functional vendor arcades would increase income amongst a disadvantaged section, young women. The vendor arcades are incomplete and funding would be required to make them functional.

3. Objectives

The objectives of the project are as follows:

1. To improve the capacity, effectiveness and financial base of the Co-operative.

2. Mitigating against climate change by enhancing food security
3. To improve working practices and livelihoods of fisher folk and others.

4. To work as a participating member organization with umbrella organizations of NAFCOOP and LAMA.

5. To work collaboratively with stakeholders of the community of Soufriere/Scott?s Head such as the Village Council, St. Marks Improvement Committee, boat owners, fisher folk and tour operators, to ensure increased economic activity and protection of the environment.

6. To work collaboratively with other stakeholders such as the Fisheries Division, The Environmental Coordinating Unit, Environmental Heath, Bureau of Standards, Dominica Solid Waste so as to ensure the project is in line with national objectives.

7. To develop a local marketing strategy to effectively market ?fish landings?.

8. To conduct a fish marketing survey so as to gain greater understanding of the market.

9. Awareness building, sensitization and training programmes.

4. The Project

The project will comprise the following components:

i) The construction and deployment of FADs

ii) The purchase and use of a fully equipped fiber glass boat powered by a fuel efficient 4-stroke motor engine.

iii) Market development to include a marketing survey and the construction of a fish smoker.

iv) Construction of a refuse collection area to reduce the pollution in the area of the SSMR.

v) The completion of vendor arcades in the locker room complex

Construction and FAD deployment

The fishermen have experience in FAD building and deployment, however, innovations including the use of mid water buoys and warning lights will be included. The Fisheries Division will provide the necessary guidance and training. The first construction and deployment will be conducted with the active participation of the Fisheries Division and NAFCOOP. The changes will be documented and used in the construction of the remaining FADs which will be done by the Cooperative.

As sustainability is crucial, a voluntary subscription system for FAD replacements will be introduced. Discussions have commenced with boat owners on the details of such a system to be agreed on. In addition, the FAD management and maintenance strategy developed by the Fisheries Division and NAFCOOP will be closely followed.

A training component is part of this sub-project. The FADs innovations were developed with the assistance of the Japanese working in close collaboration with the Fisheries Division. These innovations, the use of mid-water buoys enables less drag plus the use of strobe lights to provide protection from vessels thus extending the FAD?s life cycle. The Fisheries Division would provide the training for the first FAD and a team of fishers would put the training in practice by building the other FADs to documented specifications, with continued overview from Fisheries Division.


The project is well poised to contribute to the implementation of NAFCOOP ?s strategic plan for the deployment and management of FADs. Indeed, the project is a precursor of the evolving NAFCOOP strategy of deploying and managing FADs.
The St. Marks project has been discussed at NAFCOOP Board of Director?s meetings. The Cooperative has an advantage for a direct line of communication with NAFCOOP with the Secretary serving as Treasurer on the NAFCOOP Executive.


The Purchase and Use of a Fully Equipped Fiber Glass Boat

The fiber glass boat will be constructed by a local boat builder from Soufriere, who has the required experience and expertise. This will have the effect of creating temporary local jobs, which is an objective of the project. The boat will consist of all the necessary equipment including a fish cooler. Guidance will be obtained from the Fisheries Division on how best to equip the boat and to ensure high standard of construction is maintained.

The ice cooler will serve the purpose of ensuring ?fish catch? is immediately iced, thus keeping it fresh and in the best possible condition for the market. Indeed the Cooperative sells ice to the fishers, so ice will be readily available.

The boat will be multifunctional. It will serve an economic function of catching fish which will be income generating; it will be manned by non-boat owning fishermen, thus creating employment; it will also be used for demonstration purposes. The 4-stroke engine, to be used is environmentally friendlier, than the 2- stroke engine widely used. The use of the newly installed engine will be closely monitored, with relevant data documented and shared so as to inform decisions on future investments and encourage the use of four stroke engines. It will also be used to demonstrate new techniques as guided by the Fisheries Division.

The use of a motor engine powered by solar panels was considered but after extensive discussion with the Chief Fisheries Officer, this was advised to be too costly and risky at this time.


Market Development

With present practice, generally, the ?production? of fish is inconsistent, with periods of glut and scarcity. This creates price instability which has a knock-on effect on fishing practices and makes fishing a part time activity for a large number of fishermen.

The conduct of a market survey would provide very useful marketing data that could be utilized in guiding action for increasing fish landings. The expertise of the Fisheries Division and the Statistics Office would be utilized to guide in the process and ensure the success of the exercise. This expert leadership would contribute significantly to the collection of relevant and reliable data with appropriate questionnaires and database developed. Analysis of the data would also require their expert support.

The Co-operative would be directly involved in the exercise with about four researchers and a data entry person recruited from the membership to be trained to conduct the survey.

The construction and use of a fish smoker is another component of market development. The Fisheries Division would be relied on to advise on purchasing materials and building the smoker and for training in fish smoking techniques. Markets for the smoked fish would be obtained. The marketing survey will gather pertinent information as regards to the demand and strategies for the smoked fish market.

Other aspects of training included in this component of the project include the areas of fish handling, processing storage and hygiene, packaging. For this sub-project the St Mark?s Coop will partner with other agencies and departments including Environmental Health Unit and the Bureau of Standards.

Public awareness meetings, including follow up sessions and educational forums to address key environmental issues will be held.

Construction of a Refuse Collection Area

Scott?s Head is the southernmost part of Dominica and Cachacou Point separates the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean and it is part of the marine reserve. It is also of great scenic beauty and draws many visitors to the area. Scott?s Head is congested and there are few places for refuse collection. As a consequence a section of the beach is used for that purpose.

There is accumulation of a large volume or rubbish in the area on a regular basis, as a collection point for the garbage truck. This is very unsightly and unhealthy and especially when the truck is not regular the incidence of dispersal into the environment both on land and in the adjoining seas increases (See photograph below). This dispersal poses a serious threat to the ecosystem especially considering the rich biodiversity of the area and can impact negatively on the integrity of the SSMR. The Coop will work closely with the Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation and LAMA, the Village Council and other community organisations to build public awareness, promotion of best practice in garbage disposal and ensure proper management.

In this project the construction of a covered area to serve as an incubator for refuse collection will be constructed and supervised. This is a significant aspect of the project. Even when the refuse lorry is not on schedule to pick up from the community, the rubbish-mess would be kept in a better managed manner to cut off the unsightly view and reduce pollution.


Vendor Arcades

A locker room complex, with forty rooms (6ft x 5ft) was constructed in the early part of the century. The main reason was to provide the fisher folk with storage facilities for their equipment. By so doing it was expected that the ugly-looking boat houses would be demolished thus increasing the aesthetics of the surroundings. The planning included the building of about ten vendor arcades to be used for vending by a disadvantaged group, the young women. The vendor arcades were never completed.

The Cooperative has received many requests for the use of the vendor arcades, but they cannot be rented out until they are completed and functional. Under this project the vendor arcades will be completed and rented out, enabling livelihood opportunities for the young women. This will also be linked to the marketing aspect with increased use of fish and fish meals sold by the vendors in an environment operating to prescribed standards.

This will be supported through the training in this sub-project to include health and safety, hygiene, food handling, quality and standards. Both the Bureau of Standards and Environment al Health will be involved in the training. Other training will be in catering and fish recipes.

During the construction work on the vendor arcades there will also be some short term employment for a few young men o f the community in particular.
Revenue from rent will go towards maintenance and upgrade of the arcade and surroundings.

5. EXPECTED OUTCOMES

The expected outcomes of the project are as follows:

1. The construction and deployment of five Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs).

2. The maintenance of the FAD technology with committed boat owners and fishers.

3. The development of a financial system to replace lost FADs.

4. Increase in ?fish landing? measured by before and after deployment data.

5. Increased revenue for the cooperative.

6. Increased capacity and efficiency in FAD maintenance and deployment.

7. The purchase of a fully equipped fiber glass boat.


8. A marketing strategy and plan informed by data and information from survey and analysis.

9. Training, public awareness and sensitization strategies for fish preservation and general hygiene.

10. Community people with expertise in areas such as fish preparation, preservation and marketing.

11. Overall improvement in solid waste management in the community and in particular on the beach front.