Connections 19 November2004

An electronic bulletin about interdisciplinary research, teaching and outreach at the
Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES)
Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus

With the first semester well under way the Cave Hill
reports and publications put out be CERMES and other
Campus is busy again. CERMES got off to a great start
organisations that are members of the Coastal
with its graduate student orientation and lots of action
Management Research Network (COMARE Net) which
on various projects that we will tell you all about below.
sponsored Dr. McConney's participation. A few days
after the conference, the meeting organiser, Dr. Silvia
Student orientation
Salas of CINVESTAV, joined COMARE Net.
Our new students were introduced to the Cave Hill
Campus and CERMES in an orientation package put
It is hoped that COASTFISH may be organised every
together mainly by Kim Baldwin (research assistant and
two years in different countries of Latin America and the
CERMES graduate) and Bibi Selman (secretary), ably
Caribbean. Barbados is one proposal for host in 2006.
assisted by a number of other staff. On 3 September
Sustainable Grenadines Project to be
the recruits were guided around the campus and the
facilities at CERMES.
officially launched on 23 November
Tuesday 23 November is an important date for the
The next day, Saturday 4
Sustainable Grenadines Project. It will be officially
September, found them on
launched in Union Island. The launch will take place
a bus and boat discovering
after the Steering Committee meeting at which the first
the "real world" of Coastal
annual workplan will be reviewed. There will be a brief
and Marine Management,
ceremony followed by a reception at the Project's new
Climate Change and Solid
office in Clifton. Look out for details of the launch and
Waste. The all-day land
workplan in the next CERMES Connections. You will
and sea field trip took them
soon be able to visit the Sustainable Grenadines web
around the island with stops
page that is currently under construction.
at places of interest in the
context of the topics that they will cover in their year at
Stakeholder study on Graeme Hall
CERMES. Wetlands, beach erosion, tourism, fisheries
infrastructure, geological formations, mining, housing,
Swamp based on SocMon methods
agriculture and many aspects of resource use formed
One of the recently concluded Coastal Resources Co-
part of the fun and learning experience. The students
management Project (CORECOMP) activities was a
got to know each other and CERMES faculty who
stakeholder study that may lead to the co-management
conducted the tours.
of the Graeme Hall Swamp. The study was done by
consultant Angela Alleyne on behalf of the Coastal
COASTFISH 2004 meets in Mexico
Zone Management Unit (CZMU) which was acting as
Dr. Patrick McConney attended the COASTFISH 2004
the agent of the multi-stakeholder Science Committee
conference in Merida, Mexico, from 4-8 October. The
set up to address deficiencies in scientific knowledge
meeting focused on the coastal fisheries of Latin
about the swamp. Enlightened, the CZMU sought to
America and the Caribbean. He presented a country
incorporate social science in their investigations.
profile paper on the small pelagic, sea egg, shallow
The study focused on obtaining perceptions from the
shelf and deep reef fisheries of Barbados.
people who live and work around the swamp about the
A paper co-authored with
area and the concept of co-management. The SocMon
Roland Baldeo of Grenada
Caribbean methodology of socio-economic analysis that
Fisheries Division on "Some
is promoted by CERMES was adapted and used.
lessons in coastal resource
People interviewed attached high importance to this last
co-management from beach
remaining large area of mangrove wetland as a natural
seine and lobster fisheries
resource and an economic asset. They were in favour
in Grenada" was presented.
of participatory management of the area. It remains to
It was an opportunity to
be seen whether the authorities and stakeholders will
showcase several of the
be able to implement co-management arrangements.

---

57th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries
Large Marine Ecosystems project and Dr. McConney
Institute (GCFI) meets in Florida
participated in his capacity as a GCFI board member.
The 57th annual meeting of the Gulf and Caribbean
Dr. Oxenford, also a GCFI board member of many
Fisheries Institute (GCFI) met in St. Petersburg, Florida,
years, contributed to several organisational sessions of
from 8-12 November. This year the meeting benefited
the Institute. Next year's meeting is slated for the
from having a large group of participants from around
breath-taking San Andres islands of Columbia. We
the region sponsored by various CERMES projects.
hope to see some of you there.
There were seven paper presentations associated with
Coastal Management Research
CERMES projects or sponsorship:
Network (COMARE Net) in action
Gibson, J., D. Lizama and R. Pomeroy --
The UWI Office of Research's Coastal Management
Establishing a socioeconomic monitoring
Research Network (COMARE Net), that is managed in
program for Glover's Reef Atoll, Belize
part by CERMES, has taken on new life. Visit the new
COMARE Net web page on the CERMES web site and
Joseph, K. -- Socio-economic impact of
you can find the membership application form, links to
the closed season for lobster in Corn
several coastal management projects and the various
Island, RAAS, Nicaragua
outputs from those projects. The latter include reports,
McConney, P. -- Integration of fisheries
briefs, presentations and final technical reports. The
into coastal management
web page is still under construction and more links are
to be added in the near future. The network will soon
Parker, C. and M. Pena -- Possible
also be accessible from the new web site of the Office
paths to co-managing the sea egg
of Research (http://www.uwi.tt/researchOffice.asp).
fishery of Barbados
COMARE Net also assisted in disseminating research
Rambusiek, C., H. Oxenford and P.
results and other information on coastal management
McConney -- A livelihoods analysis of
through sponsorship of several participants to attend
two marine protected areas in Belize
some of the scientific and technical meetings mentioned
Smith, A.H. -- Using GIS tools for
previously. At each of these events project outputs, as
participatory management of coastal
CDs or paper copies, were taken along for display and
resources in Laborie Bay, St. Lucia
distribution. At the GCFI meeting over 200 CDs and
almost as many documents were acquired by meeting
One poster was also a CERMES production:
participants who visited the COMARE Net display table.
Browne, M., M. Pena and P. McConney -- Tobago
These products covered almost all of the DFID-funded
Cays Marine Park: How is this MPA Doing?
projects of the Natural Resources Systems Programme
(NRSP) in the Caribbean.
In addition, two other oral presentations, by PhD
students, had connections to CERMES. They were:
Eristhee, N., P.A. Murray, E. Kadison and A. Llewelyn
-- Preliminary Investigations into the Red Hind Fishery
in the British Virgin Islands
Goetze, T.C. -- Negotiating Difference: Stakeholder
Challenges in MPA Co-Management
Participants sponsored by CERMES who did not
present papers included Messrs. Jack Nightingale and
Dwight Neal from NGOs in Belize that co-manage
MPAs. They were assisted by the Coastal Resources
Co-management Project (CORECOMP) as part of the
capacity building component of that project. A project
planning meeting was held with partners in various
CORECOMP activities in order to identify new initiatives

under this project funded by the Oak Foundation.
COMARE Net is now in the process of increasing the
UWI content on the web page by including initiatives
CERMES faculty participated in an informal meeting on
related to coastal management. It is anticipated that this
strengthening the Western Central Atlantic Fisheries
will be of considerable assistance to graduate students
Commission. Dr. Robin Mahon, Director of CERMES,
seeking project ideas and supervisors within our areas
was there as the regional coordinator for the Caribbean
of specialisation in marine science.

CERMES Phone (246)-417-4316; Fax (246)-424-4204; cermes@uwichill.edu.bb; www.cavehill.uwi.edu/cermes
Mailing address: CERMES, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, St. Michael, Barbados

---