 The Department of Fisheries and the Japan International Cooperation Agency have once again united for the ongoing Coast Fish Project, which aims to strengthen the sustainable use and management of coastal fisheries resources in Karakam countries. An impressive feat has been attained with the conclusion of a comprehensive five-day seminar, which took place in St. Lucia from August 14th to the 18th of 2023, targeting the enhancement of the capabilities of fisheries statisticians from the project's target countries. The Coast Fish Project has been diligently working to promote cooperative management of aquatic resources between user groups and government authorities. Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency Ishiro Mimura says the gained knowledge will bolster the fisheries department's capacity for evidence-based decision-making, leading to improved effectiveness and sustainability in managing marine resources across the designated nations. Quite often, when we talk about coastal and marine resource management, we refer to fishing port and facility, equipment, sustainable livelihood, and other related issues. These are all very important. However, what is often overlooked and underappreciated is the critical role that statistic and data analysis play in the effective management of these vulnerable resources. You are the fishery officers who carry out this important work of data collection and analysis are performing an extremely vital task for proper decision-making and even a policy direction in the sector. Deputy Chief Fisheries Officer Thomas Nelson says the seminar aimed to align statisticians with the Coast Fish Project's overarching goals by enhancing their proficiency in our program usage, comprehending life history elicitation, CPUE and MSI calculation, emphasizing accurate fish landing data accumulation, and cultivating the ability to craft draft survey plans for demersal fish species. The issue of data, the management of fisheries and fisheries-related resources, the analysis of data to inform decision-making is very, very critical. And I know that R has been in the region for a while and building our capacity to utilize such a software, such a program, which I understood is very, very versatile in that you can use it to produce so many results that can be applicable to various aspects of fisheries. The Department of Fisheries is actively advancing sustainable marine resource management in St. Lucia, thus contributing to the enduring well-being and vitality of coastal fisheries resources. From the communications unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, I am Manicia Antoine reporting.