Five Eastern Caribbean nations are poised to deliver transformative support to more than 21,800 stakeholders across the regional fisheries industry, from small-scale fisherfolk and coastal community members to boat owners and seafood processors, thanks to a newly launched $12.55 million project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The multi-year initiative, named Climate Change Resilience in the Caribbean Fisheries Sector Project (CC4FISH-II), was officially launched at an inception meeting hosted in Dominica on September 15, 2026, led by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) in strategic partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), alongside a network of regional and national implementing partners. The project will run through 2030, expanding on the successful groundwork laid by the original CC4FISH program that operated across seven Eastern Caribbean countries between 2017 and 2022.
The original CC4FISH initiative delivered critical early progress, including comprehensive vulnerability assessments of the regional fisheries sector, targeted capacity building for fisherfolk and aquaculture operators, and policy reforms that embedded climate adaptation into national and regional fisheries governance. The follow-up CC4FISH-II program was developed to address the accelerating climate-driven threats facing Caribbean fisheries: shrinking fish stocks, widespread marine biodiversity loss, and irreversible degradation of critical Caribbean Sea habitats that underpin the food security, household incomes, and overall economic stability of the region’s Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Unlike the first phase, the new project will focus direct engagement on five participating countries, with an explicit priority on advancing leadership opportunities and strengthening livelihood resilience for women and young people working across the fishing value chain.
Speaking at the project’s inception workshop, Dominica’s Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy, Honourable Lakeyia Joseph, emphasized the shared nature of climate challenges in the region. “No single country can address these climate change challenges alone,” Joseph noted. “We therefore welcome the opportunity provided by CC4FISH-II to deepen collaboration among countries of the Eastern Caribbean…We must ensure our fisherfolk, fisheries officers and other stakeholders have access to knowledge, tools, technology and training necessary to operate sustainably in an increasingly challenging climate.”
Dr. Renata Clarke, FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean, framed CC4FISH-II as a generational investment in the Caribbean’s long-term future. “CC4FISH-II represents an investment in the future of the Caribbean. It demonstrates the power of regional collaboration in addressing shared challenges facing the Caribbean’s fisheries sector. Together, we can strengthen resilience, protect marine resources, and create lasting benefits for communities throughout the region,” Clarke said.
The Caribbean fisheries sector is a foundational economic and social pillar for the region: it guarantees critical food security for hundreds of thousands of residents, supports widespread livelihoods, and drives growth in linked sectors including tourism. But it has also become one of the most climate-vulnerable industries in the Caribbean, facing growing risks from shifting ocean temperatures, more frequent and intense extreme weather events, widespread ecosystem collapse, and repeated damage to core fisheries infrastructure. CC4FISH-II responds to these threats with a portfolio of practical, on-the-ground investments and systemic interventions, ranging from the deployment of climate-smart fishing vessels and infrastructure to the restoration of critical coastal ecosystems that serve as natural fish habitats and storm buffers.
CCCCC Executive Director Dr. Colin Young outlined the project’s core community-focused mission: “Through improved infrastructure, enhanced access to climate-smart fishing practices, and strengthened community-level capacity, we are working to protect and improve livelihoods. We are focused on ensuring that when climate events occur, our fishing communities are not only better protected but also possess the tools to recover faster and adapt more effectively.”
CC4FISH-II is structured around four interconnected core workstreams, all aligned with a long-term, ecosystem-based approach to climate adaptation. The first workstream focuses on delivering climate-ready infrastructure and vessels: retrofitting or building safer, more fuel-efficient fishing boats, and upgrading fish landing sites, processing facilities, and market hubs to withstand extreme weather and long-term climate shifts. The second workstream centers on ecosystem restoration and monitoring, working hand-in-hand with local communities to restore damaged coral reefs, mangrove forests, and seagrass beds—three critical habitats that support fish populations and protect coastal coastlines—while expanding regional capacity to track marine ecosystem health over time.
The third workstream targets policy and financing reform, working with national and regional governments to embed climate adaptation and disaster risk management into formal fisheries policy, while expanding access to affordable insurance and financial services for small-scale fisherfolk who have historically been locked out of these risk management tools. The fourth and final workstream focuses on cross-regional knowledge sharing, establishing a regional Community of Practice to document and disseminate proven best practices and lessons learned, ensuring that successful solutions developed in one participating country can be scaled across the entire Caribbean.
By blending cutting-edge climate technology with revamped traditional fishing and conservation practices passed down through coastal communities, CC4FISH-II is positioned to guide the Caribbean fisheries sector toward long-term resilience, protecting sustainable livelihoods and equipping coastal communities to better withstand accelerating climate shocks.