Haiti fish consumption below world average, One man's plan to fix that

When it comes to dining in Haiti, people talk more about their 'Poul Di' then fish, considered an important part of a healthy diet. Perhaps it is because Haiti produces much less fish than it needs to consume.


A Small Fishing Boat in Haiti

Fish is good for you. Fish is a good source of protein and, unlike fatty meat products, it's not high in saturated fat. Fish is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. (heart.org)

Haiti has rivers, we have lakes and oceans.. So why dont we eat lots of fish?

I don't have an expert answer to that question but I just found out about someone who might... His name is Valentin Abe, a native of the Ivory Coast , a specialist in aquaculture, and the founder of Caribbean Harvest, a not-for-profit organization teaching Haitians how to farm tilapia in lakes around Haiti.

The average Haitian consumes about seven pounds of fish a year, mostly imported canned fish, Dr Abe sais in a video documentary, compared to the Jamaicans next door who consumes 70 pounds on average.

Each year, he says, Haiti imports about 24 million pounds of fish. he wants to cut that importation of fish while creating jobs in aquaculture and building communities at the same time.

Find out how he is doing just that by visiting his web site

Also read: Fish cages bring economic hope to Haitians, an article recently published in the Miami Herald about Valentin Abe an his fishing projects happening in waters of Lake Azuei.

In the article, Abe says: "For Haiti to have fish consumption that's close to the world's average, you need to produce about 120 million pounds of fish a year. The entire country produces less than 30 million pounds of fish."

When it comes to food, it is crucial for Haiti to reach an equilibrium whereby it can feed it's people... Whether it is fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables, we need more people like Valentin Abe in this new reconstruction phase that Haiti is going though right now.

Production markets around the world are looking for consumers. I think Haiti has fallen prey to this. I am always happy to talk about the few people who at least try to get us OUT of the trap.

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Pepe Jean says...

The Haitian fishermen do not have good motor boats to explore deep water sea to catch fishes every day. Those little boats cannot make it where the fishes are in great quantity.

Haitian government should provide boats for fishermen to rent to go fishing or the fishermen should buy better boats in Florida to do the job. Every town needs a fish market, a meat market, a vegetable market.

Every sector in Port au Prince needs a fish market, a meat market and a vegetable market for the Haitian people to feed themselves

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Pierre Normil says...

Please keep me informed because i am interested also in a project like

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