In the wake of Hurricane Beryl, the physical landscape of Bequia’s maritime industry is a scene of severe disruption, however, while the storm’s damage is the immediate catalyst, the conversations unfolding between the government and nearly 100 local stakeholders suggest that Bequia is preparing for a sophisticated modernization of its oldest industry.
The strategy is clear: the Blue Economy must prioritize food sovereignty. As the Minister of Fisheries Conroy Huggins observed, the ability to feed the local population is a prerequisite for a successful service economy.
“Fisheries overall is a livelihood activity and in Bequia it is not just livelihood, it’s cultural, it is tradition, it is the economic driver for Bequia… before we could offer services, we have to be able to eat.”
The most striking insight from the technical assessment is that the vastness of the ocean and the fishers’ ability to harvest its bounty are not the bottlenecks. The failure lies in the “map” of trade and distribution and addressing this internal distribution gap—import substitution at its most basic level—is a primary objective for the new policy framework.
For Bequia’s fishers to maximize their returns, regaining consistent access to European and North American markets is non-negotiable. These high-value destinations offer the margins necessary for sustainable growth, but they require the rigorous standards and infrastructure that the government is now racing to restore.
For two decades, vital infrastructure has been allowed to deteriorate into a state of disrepair, hampering the sector’s ability to scale. However, the consultation revealed a clear benchmark for the path forward: the Japanese-built infrastructure. These facilities have stood as a testament to durability and high-standard engineering while other structures crumbled.
Minister Huggins vision involves a total shift from simple maintenance to a comprehensive program of restoration and refurbishment. The goal is to move the industry from a state of survival to one of wealth generation.
“We have not really been able to fully tap into the real potential of the ocean and the blue economy. So, we are just right now scraping the top of the barrel.”
The technical assessment noted that the most inspiring transformation in the Grenadines is the rise of the sea moss industry—a sector that embodies the “alchemy” of value-added processing.
Entrepreneur Ranita Olivier, whose passion and dedication were sparked during a 2022 FAO project workshop, has led a community-wide transition from harvesting raw sea moss to producing a sophisticated range of high-margin goods and this shift from raw material export to value-added manufacturing has caught the highest levels of government attention.
The data and concerns gathered by the eight-person fisheries team were presented directly to the Cabinet last week.