Barbados Shines a Light on the Blue Economy

Kirk Humphrey

On Wednesday night, the organizers of Reef Week held a virtual panel discussion to talk about the Blue Economy. As you are aware, there is a new government ministry which includes the Blue Economy led by Minister Andre Perez. So, to talk about what the emerging concept constitutes, as well as the challenges and opportunities – the featured presenter was the Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy of Barbados Kirk Humphrey. He shared some of his island’s best practices of sustainable use ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and employment while balancing the health of the ecosystem.

Kirk Humphrey, Minister of Maritime Affairs & Blue Economy, Barbados

“There are three things I always focus on when I speak of the Blue Economy. The Blue Economy will always be about production – how do we produce from the ocean but almost importantly it will be about preservation. How do we produce in a way that allows us to preserve these very important resources that we have? And then most importantly, it is about people – so you have to produce and preserve on behalf of people and make sure that people benefit from any conversation about the Blue Economy.    We have to be sustainable in the way we approach these things. I want my fishermen and fisherfolk to generate as much revenue as possible from any activity in which they engage. We did a study where it says that thirty percent to seventy-percent depending on the fish is wasted – that is like the head, the bones, and the tail – significant parts of it. So, we are now taking that what was wasted to create fish silage, using it for bio-fuel so that you use a hundred percent of the fish and hopefully that revenue can also come back to the fisherfolk and that is part of the whole circular economy. With FAO, we are now looking for new ways to loin the fish. So, you catch a tuna and in Barbados we do what is called head and gut – we cut off the head and cut off the gut and we sell the fish. But if you loin the fish you can actually make more money. So we are working on the loin – so you are not catching more fish and you are not draining the resources so you make more money from the fish that you catch and that goes directly to the fishermen.”