JOHN’S, Antigua – A senior fisheries official from Antigua and Barbuda has contributed to the latest United Nations World Ocean Assessment, becoming one of the few experts from the Caribbean and the first known representative from Antigua and Barbuda to take part in the global review of ocean health.

Deputy Chief Fisheries Officer Tricia Lovell said the assessment is the most comprehensive evaluation of the world’s oceans, examining biodiversity, ecosystems, governance, threats, and the social and economic dimensions of ocean use.

The assessment, produced through the U.N.’s Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, draws on the expertise of approximately 650 specialists from around the world. The current report is the third iteration of the assessment, a multi-year undertaking that compiles and reviews scientific research from across the globe.

Lovell served on a writing team focused on small-scale fisheries, an area in which she specializes through her work on artisanal fisheries.

Experts were divided into thematic teams covering topics such as fisheries, habitats, biodiversity, gender equity, and ocean governance. Lovell said contributors came from every region of the world, bringing together a wide range of expertise.

For Antigua and Barbuda, she said the contribution is significant because it ensures that the experiences and challenges of small island developing states are reflected in the report.

“It is important that we tell our own stories and talk about our own issues rather than having them interpreted by external experts,” Lovell said.

Her group’s assessment led by author Derek Armitage found that while small-scale fisheries vary widely across regions, many face similar challenges, including competition from industrial fishing fleets and displacement from traditional fishing grounds by other industries.

Lovell noted that these issues are also familiar in Antigua and Barbuda, where fishers have lost access to some traditional landing sites and fishing areas over time.

The report also examines the impacts of climate change and other environmental pressures, including marine pollution, plastic waste, and habitat degradation.

“It looks at ecosystems, species and habitats, but it also looks at threats and pressures,” Lovell said, describing the document as both an assessment of current ocean conditions and a guide for improving ocean health in the future.

She encouraged more young people in Antigua and Barbuda to pursue careers in marine and ocean sciences, arguing that the ocean will play an increasingly important role in economic development and climate resilience.

“Although Antigua and Barbuda is more ocean than it is land, we don’t have a lot of persons who are focusing their attention and effort on studying the ocean,” she said.

Lovell said greater participation by scientists from small island states is needed to ensure their perspectives are represented in international discussions on ocean management and climate change.

She also urged the public to engage with the findings of the World Ocean Assessment, which is available through an online portal designed to make the report more accessible.

“We don’t want the World Ocean Assessment to sit on a shelf,” Lovell said. “We want people to understand where we are and where we need to go as a global community.”