“Can anyone recommend me kids or teenagers up to about 18 years old who are great spokespeople for the environment and nature conservation? It can be in any area related to the environment and they can be speakers of any language.
“The reason I ask is that once kids in the Caribbean reach their teens, there’s a dropout rate from environmental education programmes in support of our protected areas and protected species. One way we might try to combat this is by showing them kids their own age, or just older, who are cool, passionate and making a difference in the environmental area that they’re into.”

If you know of anyone who might be interested, post a comment in the comments section and I will connect you. Thanks!

I started fishing for crabs at the age of seven to contribute to the family economy. My sister and two brothers fished together but I always went by myself. When I got married at the age of 18, I started fishing with my husband to support our family. We would fish for shrimp using small trawling nets called changos.

I helped get fishing organizations together from Barra Sarstún to Punta de Manabique to form the Guatemalan Caribbean and Izabal Lake Artisanal Fishers Networks. Now we have a voice.

I have been the leader of the Livingston Artisanal Fishermen organization since 2004. We are promoting a no take season and have initiated a dialog with the authorities. But more is needed to strengthen surveillance and enforcement. The problem is that the fishing authorities don’t have any financial resources.

We are also trying to get funds for alternative projects so that we can reduce pressure on the resources. We are working on aquaculture projects and have opened a restaurant named El Manglar in Cayo Quemado in Rio Dulce.

We started with almost no participation from women in the fishers’ network, but now we are playing a very important role in building awareness about the conservation of resources. Many times, we are more involved than the men.

Of course, the fishing stock has decreased a lot. Twenty years ago there were more fish and bigger fish. Not only is the fisher population growing, but many of the fishers are not aware of the damage they are doing.

These communities have so many needs, but they also have many people who are willing to make a difference. I believe it is time for the fishers to give something back to the sea because sea has provided us with food for so many years. But we need support.

Claudio Gonzales of MARfund(right) with fishers in Honduras.

MARfund is an organization whose mission is to protect the Meso- american Reef, the second largest  in the world, a 700-mile long system off the Caribbean coastline of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. We spoke with Claudio in August.

On MARfund’s work with fishers:  In 2007 and 2008, MAR Fund, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Comunidad y Biodiversidad (COBI) organized workshops involving authorities, NGOs, academia and the fishermen in all 4 countries of the MAR region. Since then the fishers have been very interested in being involved in marine resources co-management.

The Barras de Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge: In Honduras, the fishers have been negotiating with marine protected area authorities in the Barras de Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge and were granted co-management of three fishing grounds. We were hoping that the fishers would propose one no take zone and instead they proposed four. All have now been officially designated as no take zones. This is just one example of our work.

 “Without them, we have less than half a chance.”  It is critical that we capitalize on the interest and willingness that has been demonstrated by the fishing groups. I can’t say conservation will have no success at all if the fishers are not involved. But without them, we have less than half a chance. They are the ones who are there, the ones who depend on these resources.

The importance of film and stories: The fishers are very inspired to see film about how resources can be conserved with their cooperation. It is proof for them that they can make a difference.

How to help MARfund: We have some wonderful private donors, but there is still so much to do. We have set up a project on the Global Giving website where people from all over the world can contribute. Please check it out!

Claudio can be reached at cgonzalez@marfund.org

And, of course, you can support At Sea Level, our film about the fishers, through the Ocean Foundation.

Head Warden CJ Jeffrey patrolling Moliniere-Beausejour Marine Protected Area (E. Doyle)

From Emma Doyle of the Caribbean Marine Protected Areas Management Network and Forum:

[St. George’s] (July 31, 2011) World Ranger Day is commemorated on July 31 by national parks around the world. In the Caribbean, let’s take this chance to honour the dedication and passion of the rangers and wardens who work in our region’s marine protected areas, such as a Head Warden from Grenada. Moliniere-Beausejour Marine Protected Area is considered to be home to some of the finest reefs in Grenada, and Head Warden ‘CJ’ Jeffrey tells us about the work that goes on to protect such a special area.

Most important to the wardens is ensuring that there are no illegal activities, especially spear-fishing, which is very destructive to the reef. “Marine protected areas play a vital role in helping provide refuges where fish can breed. The fish grow and fill the protected area, and because they’re territorial they then move out into the surrounding waters and help replenish nearby fisheries” CJ explains.
Wardens might give a warning on the first offense, but the second can lead to arrest. “Wardens have the power to arrest because they operate under the Grenada Fisheries Act.”
But policing is only one part of what the wardens do. At Moliniere-Beausejour there are excellent sites for boating, swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving, and the protected area is home to the famous, world-first underwater sculpture park. So the wardens are also ambassadors for tourism.
“We want to make sure that visitors have a safe time and an environmentally responsible experience. I remember having fantastic times on this part of the coast when I was a child, with clean beaches and lots of amazing sea life,” CJ comments.
“As more and more pressure is being placed on the environment, I want to help protect these areas and their marine creatures so that I can share the wonders of the sea with my own daughters as they grow up.”
When the wardens are patrolling they’re in communication with tour guides, yachts and dive operators to make sure everyone follows the guidelines and has a great time. “We also answer a lot of questions, things like where can you see a sea horse? ” adds CJ.

Ask him what the best part of his job is, and CJ doesn’t have to stop and think. “The wardens are all PADI-certified divers and it’s our job to know every inch of Moliniere-Beausejour, both above and below the water. We regularly monitor the coral, fish, lobster and other important species like turtles, and we work with marine biologists to evaluate our findings.”
In fact, before working for Grenada Marine Protected Areas, CJ was a professional Dive Master and Dive Instructor who already knew the underwater world of Moliniere-Beausejour like the back of his hand.
Apart from being divers, the wardens get to use some pretty sophisticated equipment in their jobs. They have to be adept at handling and maintaining the patrol boat, they’re proficient marine radio users, and they work with GPS and related computer equipment like geographic information systems. They also install and maintain the marker buoys and mooring buoys in the protected area, on occasion using specialist equipment like underwater jackhammers.
The wardens also do land patrols where they check the marine protected area from vantage points on land. This is where the wardens get to engage with the closest neighbours of Molinere-Beausejour, who are the people of the local communities.
So it’s a very cool job working in a very special place. “The wardens love their day-to-day work out on the water and meeting people” he says, but he also stresses “It’s an important job that we have in protecting the environment, and it’s a high profile job in our communities, who we want to serve well.”
So what can you and I do to help? CJ says “If locals and visitors alike respect Moliniere-Beausejour’s regulations and understand the importance of protected areas for now and for the future, then you help us to protect the beaches, reefs, fish and other marine biodiversity that we all love.”

Moliniere-Beausejour Marine Protected Area is located to the north of St. George’s, from near the north of Grand Mal to the north of Beausejour Bay. White demarcation buoys show the seaward boundary, which runs along the edge of the continental shelf and the seaway for maritime traffic. No anchoring is allowed in the protected area, and fixed red mooring buoys are available for day use, white buoys for mainly the yachts. Please be sure that you leave all marine creatures in place and dispose of all your litter properly.

For more information about Grenada’s Marine Protected Areas, please contact the Fisheries Division on tel +1 473 440 3814 or email mbmpa@hotmail.com. For more information about the Caribbean Marine Protected Areas Management Network and Forum (CaMPAM), see http://campam.gcfi.org/campam.php or email emma.doyle@gcfi.org.

Here’s one thing that these fishers get: without regulation and enforcement, conservation won’t happen, because without it, the good guys don’t matter. They also know that it’s up to them to make their voices heard. They’re talking with their government officials. They’re willing to make sacrifices to protect their future – and in so doing protect our future.

There are many in government in this country who are out to undo environmental regulations, and where they can’t repeal them outright drain the funds needed for enforcement.

Let’s make our voices heard. (Especially if you are a Republican who cares about the environment — your elected officials seem to believe only Democrats care. They need to know that someone’s behind them if they break ranks.)

Go to usa.gov, find your official’s contact information. Email ‘em, call ‘em then email ‘em and call ‘em again. Especially when it comes to matters regarding the marine environment. Let’s do our part to keep fish in the sea and a future for all our children.   These fishers are doing theirs.

(What strikes me as particularly troubling is that a fishing permit is being issued — fish farming is very different from fishing — with very different issues. )

Comments on the Draft Environmental Assessment for Kona Blue Water Farms’ application to use a new ‘gear-type’ — i.e. fish cages –  to ‘catch’ seriola rivoliana will be accepted until 11:59 hst (midnight – Hawaii Standard Time), March 27, 2011.

Submit to: piro-specialpermit@noaa.gov with the subject line: Comment on Special Permit

The Draft Environmental Assessment is available http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/Library/SFD/NMFS%20PIRO%20Special%20Permit%20Kona%20Blue%20Draft%20Environmental%20Assessment%20(March%202011).pdf” target=”_blank”>here

I’m finding more and more like minded  people who are interested in supporting artisinal fishers and understand the importance of working with them as equal partners in the stewardship of our environment.

The fishers I’ve interviewed have a lot to teach us all about conservation, not just in the Caribbean waters, but here on land.  They understand the need for collaboration between individuals, governments and community organizations. They get that environmental regulations are necessary  and are willing to make shared sacrifices. They are not in denial about climate change. And nothing they do will be of any use if we don’t get our heads out of the sand in the U.S. and get serious about carbon emissions.

Every week I see more coming out about the acidification of the ocean, coral bleaching and sea level rise in response to the melting of glaciers.

When I get discouraged, they give me courage. I look forward to sharing more with you in the New Year.