(Basseterre, St. Kitts): The Department of Marine Resources St. Kitts division welcomed a team of Marine experts from the Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI) of Dalhousie University Canada on Tuesday 28, February 2023.
The meeting which was held at the Department’s Conference Room is the first phase of a larger ocean literacy and conservation initiative that will be built around the Federation’s concept of a sustainable island state.
Representatives from the Ocean Institute include Professor in Marine Conservation Biology, Boris Worm who is also the Ocean School Science Director and OFI Ambassador for Ocean Literacy, Director of Business Development, Distribution and Production, Jacques Gautrea and Ocean School Education Director, Heather De Lagran.
The group will conduct research in St. Kitts and Nevis that will aid in the production of an ocean-related documentary.
Both the research and the documentary will highlight ocean health, marine biodiversity, fisheries conservation, and sustainable livelihoods in the twin island federation as well as the wider Caribbean region.
Present at the meeting were, Director of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Dr. Marc Williams, Marine Management Area and Habitat Monitoring Officer, Mrs. Tricia King, Head of the Media and Communication Unit, Chaïra Flanders, Port Control Officer, Maritza Queeley, Fisheries Assistant, Kharim Saddler, Aquaculture Officer, Alvan Heyliger, Head of the Administrative Unit, Delcia Brookes and Asim Jenkins, Manager of the Basseterre and Old Road Fisheries Facilities.
Meanwhile, the group also traveled to Nevis where they met with Premier of Nevis, Hon. Mark Brantley and Minister of Agriculture et al, Hon. Eric Evelyn as well as ocean advocates and staff of the Nevis Marine Resources Department on Thursday, 02, March 2023.
During these meetings, representatives from both St. Kitts and Nevis were able to engage in discussions with the ocean-led research team based on the topics, ‘Ocean Conservation and Preservation’, ‘Reef Management’, ‘Marine Research’, ‘Artificial Reefs’, ‘Sea Turtle Conservation’, ‘Sea Access’, ‘Ocean mapping’, ‘Video Production’ and ‘Content Creation’.
