Saint Lucia s Sectoral Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan for the Fisheries Sector (Fisheries SASAP) 2018-2028.

This Saint Lucia s Sectoral Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan for the Fisheries Sector (Fisheries SASAP) 2018-2028 is a sectoral policy document at the national level. The overarching goal is to drive the implementation of effective adaptation actions to strengthen the sustainability of Saint Lucia s fisheries and fishery-dependent businesses and the security of fisheries-dependent livelihoods under a changing climate.
In Saint Lucia, land-based agricultural activities and fisheries production have declined in recent decades, leading to a net import food bill and to concerns regarding future national food security and nutrition. The Fisheries SASAP seeks to enhance food security and nutrition. One of the four Outcomes of the Fisheries SASAP is: Enhanced nutrition, food availability, quality and security through adaptation in the fisheries sector. Proposed strategic objectives include: 1. Improve productivity through climate resilient fisheries management systems; 2. Promote climate resilient aquaculture production in response to a changing climate; 3. Promote alternative livelihoods creation and development and to strengthen climate resilience in fishery dependent businesses.
The Fisheries seeks to make fisheries more productive and sustainable. Some of the prioritised adaptation measures are: Enhance maritime and coastal fisheries habitats to build resilience (e.g. mangroves restoration, by establishing artificial reefs, propagating and replanting using coral reefs species that are more tolerant to increasing temperature and acidity); Integrate climate change considerations into fisheries and aquaculture policy and national development planning; Enhance marine and terrestrial spatial planning to help balance fishery and aquaculture needs, terrestrial development and shoreline protection with rising sea level.
According to the Fisheries SASAP, in Saint Lucia, poverty, age, and level of education achieved appear to be greater drivers of vulnerability than gender. In this context, and to foster equality in adaptation benefits, the Fisheries SASAP focus its attention on vulnerable groups, and include activities focussing on women and men based on other vulnerabilities.
The Fisheries SASAP promotes to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems. The prioritized adaptation measures include: 1. Improve access to higher-value markets to promote greater benefits from fisheries and aquaculture production to compensate for reduced yields due to climate change (e.g. through the enhancement of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS), innovative infrastructure, supply-demand surveys, value chain analysis, and market intelligence); 2. Reduce capital, operation and other costs in fisheries and aquaculture by introducing and promoting fuel efficient technologies in response to declining yield and productivity in a changing climate; Design and implement a programme of best practices to increase fishing vessel stability and safety at sea e.g. by investing in appropriate vessels that are safer in increasingly rough conditions; etc.
The Fisheries SASAP seeks to increase the resilience of livelihoods to the impacts caused by the climate change. To accelerate progress towards the achievement of its overarching goal, the Fisheries SASAP has defined 8 strategic objectives, grouped under 4 main outcomes. Under Outcome 1 Enhanced enabling environment for climate adaptation action in the fisheries sector, the strategic objectives include: 1. Improve the national policy, legal, regulatory and institutional framework to facilitate climate adaptation in the fisheries sector; 2. Enhance human and institutional capacities for the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of fisheries-related climate adaptation projects. Under the Outcome 4 Strengthened preparedness to climate variability and extremes in the fisheries sector; strategic objectives include: 1. Strengthen climate monitoring and communication for emergency planning and informed decision making; 2. Scale up climate resilient fisheries infrastructure to reduce climate risks.