From July – August 2025, the REBYC-III CLME+ and EAF4SG projects undertook a capacity building programme in extension methodologies, change management and messaging for an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF), discards and Abandoned, Lost or otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) management.
Led by Dr. Steve Eayrs, facilitator and Lead Technical Advisor (LTA) Component 3, REBYC-III CLME+, the sessions were held for staff in the projects’ participating countries of Barbados, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. The programme was designed to:
- provide training in project extension and adoption practices.
- evaluate and help build local extension capability.
- facilitate the development of an activity roadmap in collaboration with project staff to guide in-country activities consistent with Component 3 of the REBYC-III CLME+ and EAF4SG projects.
By the end of 2025, it is expected that each country involved in the projects would have completed or made significant progress towards completing trials to reduce impacts on Endangered, Threatened and Protected species (ETP) using new or modified fishing gear. This presented the projects with the ideal opportunity to provide basic extension and outreach training, as well as to conduct workshop extension strategies in collaboration with country staff.
The programme sought to:
- Understand the capabilities, needs, cultural norms and local contexts as it relates to Component 3 of both projects;
- Provide training on –
- basic change management theory, principals and steps needed to foster changes in behaviour, including change readiness, the importance of leadership and bedding down new cultural norms;
- the Theory of Change to facilitate goal setting, planning and achievement of desired outcomes such as the voluntary adoption of new or modified fishing gear by local fishers; and
- effective extension and outreach practices to facilitate change in behaviour and practice by fishers and others because of the REBYC III CLME+ and EAFSG4 projects’ activity.
- Collaborate with country staff to refine the projects’ current extension and outreach activity plan, as well as develop a new activity plan by incorporating and adapting training learnings to suit the local context.
Upon completion of this programme, project staff had a greater understanding of change management, the theory of change and the refined skills necessary to facilitate the extension and adoption of new or modified fishing gear to reduce impacts on ETP species.
Photos from the sessions by country are available on the project’s Facebook page available at: https://www.facebook.com/people/FFA-Projects/61567809444369/
