In St. John’s, Antigua, the local Fisheries Division has announced a forthcoming training session focused on national fisheries laws and regulations, scheduled to take place on Friday, July 17. This event forms a key component of the division’s long-running Fisher Professional Development Training Programme, an initiative designed to standardize industry knowledge and formalize professional qualifications for working fishers across the country.
The two-hour session will run from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the meeting facility located within the Point Wharf Fisheries Complex on Lower North Street, a central, accessible location for most local fishing operators. According to an official public notice released by Chief Fisheries Officer Ian Horsford, completion of this regulatory training module is a non-negotiable requirement for two critical professional milestones for local fishers: first, securing a valid, government-issued local fishing license, and second, advancing professional status from a trainee fisher to a fully certified professional fisher.
Division officials note that the training is specifically targeted toward two groups of industry workers: newly registered fishers who are newly entering the profession, and veteran, experienced fishers who have not yet fulfilled the mandatory training requirement to meet updated industry standards. That said, organizers have emphasized that any working fisher in the region who wishes to refresh their knowledge of regulatory requirements is welcome to attend, provided that vacant space remains available in the meeting room after pre-registration closes.
Interested individuals looking to secure a spot in the session are instructed to reserve their place in advance by contacting the division via phone at 462-1372. Participants are also reminded to have their official Fisher Identification documents on hand when completing their registration to speed up the check-in process. Fisheries Division representatives reaffirmed that this training is just one part of the division’s ongoing, sustained effort to raise professional standards across Antigua’s fishing industry through consistent skills and knowledge development programming.