– National legislation to help combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the region.Member countries of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) now have a more focused agenda for improving sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, coming out of the Sixth Meeting of the CRFM’s Ministerial Council,Air Max 97, hosted recently in Nassau,Wholesale Jerseys China, Bahamas.Outgoing Chairman of the Ministerial Council, Minister Hilston Baptiste, of Antigua and Barbuda,Cheap Jerseys Store, urged the incoming Chairman to provide strong and decisive leadership so that the CRFM would remain relevant to the needs of the region.“If we are to continue to benefit from the resources of the sea, we have an imperative to do all in our power to protect our resources for the many livelihoods which depend on them,” said the new Chairman of the CRFM Ministerial Council, Hon. V. Alfred Gray, recently appointed Minister of Agriculture,cheap nfl jerseys, Marine Resources and Local Government in The Bahamas.In his opening address, Minister Gray noted that fisheries contributes two per cent of the Bahamas’ national GDP, employs more than 12,000 Bahamians, with lobster alone generating more than US$75 million in export earnings each year.CRFM Executive Director Milton Haughton, who has worked in fisheries management for over 25 years,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, noted the results of numerous studies that have confirmed the health benefits of eating fish each week. He pointed to brain development in children and brain health in adults; as well as a lower risk of asthma, dementia, depression and inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, stroke and heart disease.During their daylong deliberation, Ministerial Council members reiterated their commitment to regional cooperation, and enhancing the role of the CRFM Secretariat and the operation of the Caribbean Fisheries Forum,Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys, made up of Chief Fisheries Officers and Director of Fisheries.They also thanked FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) for agreeing to assist with a performance review of the CRFM, and a new Strategic Plan to guide the work of the organization for the next 10 years.Highlighted were the need for coordinated regional action to control the negative impact of the invasive lionfish on marine ecosystems and fish stocks; and the negative impact of unprecedented large quantities of Sargassum seaweed that inundated the waters and coastline of the Eastern Caribbean Islands in the latter half of 2011.The meeting noted with grave concern the reappearance of the seaweed this year and urged Member States to monitor the situation closely and take preparatory action to minimize disruption to fisheries and other economic activities in the coastal areas, should the phenomenon also pose a problem this year.The Sixth Meeting of the Council also addressed the development of a strategy and action plan on disaster management and climate change for fishing communities, and actions to better mitigate impacts on marine resources and livelihoods of fishers and fishing communities.