The Trinidad East Coast Fishery Bycatch Management, Livelihood Development and Bycatch
Reduction Project, initiated by Nature Seekers is a project geared towards reducing the incidental
gillnet capture of marine turtles off the north-east coast of Trinidad. The project is a continuation
of projects managed by the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST)
aimed at achieving the same objective. (See Appendix I-Project Background and Previous Efforts
for further Project details).
Studies have shown that the use of gill nets by fishermen has resulted in the following key
problems:
? Increased Bycatch- Increased unintentional capture of non-target marine species during
fishing such as marine turtles
? Overfishing- Exploitation and over exploitation of fish stock
Moreover, increased oil and gas exploration and a lack of a robust legislative infrastructure and
enforcement activities have exacerbated the problem.
In light of the problems outlined above, Nature Seekers, in conjunction with the EMA and
WIDECAST, have designed the Trinidad East Coast Fishery Management, Livelihood
Development and Bycatch Reduction Project aimed at rehabilitating the sea turtle population on
the east coast of Trinidad. (See Appendix II – Organizational Background for further details on
these project partners).
Project Development
This project was developed with the support of the UNDP Global Environmental Facility Small
Grants Programme planning grant. The project planning involved a series of meetings with the
fishers to identify issues related to net fishing and the problem of bycatch. Issues also discussed
were related to factors or conditions that facilitated the environment for net fishing.
Meetings were also held with Fisheries Division, Turtle Village Trust, The Matura National Park
Stakeholders committee and the Institute of Marine Affairs.
Due to the size of this project Nature Seekers saw it necessary to split PHASE 1 in two parts to
facilitate fund raising.
Part 1 – Awareness (will be submitted to GEF SGP for funding)
Planning and Implementation
? Stage 1 – Pilot Planning
? Stage 2 – Tools Development
? Stage 3 – Programme Implementation
Part 2 – Gear Incentive and Business Assessment (will be submitted to Green Fund for Funding)
Planning and Implementation
? Stage 1: Pilot Planning
? Stage 2: Pilot Implementation
? Stage 3: Pilot Review and Assessment
? Stage 4: Feasibility Assessment and Business Planning
This awareness project is part of a bigger sea turtle bycatch initiative aimed at reducing sea turtle
bycatch on the Northeast Coast in the area of Matura to Matelot (M2M). As such this awareness
will be implemented in 7 communities and increase public support nationally. These are Matura,
Salybia, Balandra, Cumana, Toco, Sans Souci, Grande Riviere and Matelot.
Public awareness and training are linked to virtually all areas in Agenda/21. Awareness including
formal education, and training should be recognized as a process by which people can positively
impact their communities. Awareness is critical for promoting sustainable development and
improving the capacity of local residents to reduce bycatch and conserve the environment.
Awareness is also critical for achieving environmental and ethical consciousness, values and
attitudes, skills and behaviour consistent with sustainable development and for effective public
participation in decision-making.
This awareness project is designed to achieve the following objectives:
1) To strength Nature Seekers capacity and develop and implement an awareness programme on
the northeast coast of Trinidad;
2) Build the awareness of family of fishers and students about safe fishing practices and the
benefits of protecting turtles
3) Developed communication tools to be used in the awareness building process.
4) To inform the public about the challenges and solutions related to sea turtle bycatch
The project therefore seeks to build awareness within the northeast region regarding sustainable
fishing and, in particular, new legislation regarding the capture of marine turtles. A major part of
the project also aims at promoting entrepreneurial and employment opportunities for fishermen.
As part of the thrust towards promoting entrepreneurship, the overall project also seeks to provide
training to fishermen in the region to strengthen their capabilities and build capacity in the fishing
industry.
The project therefore aims to encourage sustainable fishing practices, encouraging best practices
and create sustainable livelihoods for fishermen. This is illustrated in the diagram below: