On Saturday, November 15, 2025, the salt-sprayed shores of Barbuda came alive for the much-anticipated Barbuda Ocean Festival & Sustainable Fishing Tournament, a celebration of local culture, marine conservation, and the island’s deep bond with the sea.
A Day of Celebration and Reflection
Hosted at the Barbuda Fisheries Complex, the Festival opened at 12:00 PM with a vibrant welcome tent, where islanders and visitors registered, took part in surveys, and learned about coastal conservation through an art display. BarbudanGO and other partners distributed T-shirts printed with fishing regulations — a symbol of both pride and responsibility.
Local fishermen and anglers took to the water for a competitive fishing tournament, while ashore, families enjoyed a seafood cook-off, live performance from Menace XL, and a children’s corner.
Anchored in Sustainability
This year’s Festival emphasized sustainable fishing practices. Barbuda has implemented community-led regulations to balance fishing traditions with ecological stewardship. These include protections for key species like parrotfish and sea turtle, a fishing registration system, and a mapping of closed areas for fishing.
Honoring Loss & Building Strength
This year’s event carried a poignant tone as the community remembered fishers lost at sea just last year. The Festival honors their legacy while reinforcing the need for safer, more sustainable practices.
More Than Just a Tournament
The day featured a seafood cook-off, vendor booths, trivia games, and conservation education activities promoting marine awareness.
Looking Ahead
Barbuda’s Ocean Festival is part of a larger movement toward sustainable ocean management, aided by local NGOs, the Barbuda Council, and regional marine programs.
Special mention goes out to our core donors and partners the Barbuda Fisherfolk association, the Barbuda Council, the Waitt Institute,GEF Small grants programme and Pro Caribe, Deborah Brosnan and Associates, DJ Flush Enterprise, Azeez Construction, the many local businesses on Barbuda and our volunteers on the day who made the event a huge success.
Quotes
Director of Environment for barbudanGO :
“As Director of Environment, I see events like this as essential. They bring our community together around one message: the ocean is our most valuable resource, and it’s our responsibility to protect it.”
Former Chairman Devon Warner of the Fisherfolk Association:
“My vision for the Sustainable fishing tournament is to see local fishers sharpen their skills, compete in a friendly manner and benefit from the fish product that we have around Barbuda. We practice a particular type of fishing in Barbuda where nothing under 10lbs hits the scales. We try to practice that level of fishing.”
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Kudos to the organizers. From the videos I’ve seen on Facebook seems to have been a successful event. Congratulations!!!!