Marine scientist Shivonne Peters heads award-winning Top Catch Charters

SHIVONNE Peters had no formal training in business management when she assumed the position of managing director of Top Catch Charters in 2019.

Up until that point, she assisted merely with social media marketing and promotion for its predecessor Padee Again Fishing Charters, which had been in operation since 2013.

“With Top Catch, I was there from the beginning when we held our first meeting to discuss the feasibility of this new vessel. It was both exciting and terrifying for me since I had no formal training in business management whatsoever. But I decided to take the chance. I had to prove to myself that I could do it,” Peters, 38, told WMN.

She described her first few weeks in the role as “a trial and error process."

“I had to learn the business, learn the clientele and trust my instincts, all at the same time.”

That leap of faith has paid off.

Last December, the Buccoo-based tour boat won the prestigious Blue Flag award. It is the first boat operator in the English-speaking Caribbean to receive the award.

Owned and managed by the Denmark-based non-governmental, non-profit organisation, Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), Blue Flag is an eco-label with high brand recognition in the international tourism market.

It is also one of the world's most recognised voluntary eco-labels awarded to beaches, marinas, and sustainable boat operators.

What does the Blue Flag award represent for her?

“It is the translation of my educational and professional background into a successful business model. It shows my commitment to protecting Tobago’s environment and a step in the right direction for the island as a whole.”

A marine scientist by profession, Peters has dedicated more than ten years of her career to protecting the Buccoo Reef Marine Park, the country’s only marine protected area.

From 2011 to 2018, she worked as the marine park manager for the Buccoo Reef Marine Park in the Tobago House of Assembly.

During that time, Peters pursued a second post-graduate degree with the sole intention of using the knowledge to enhance the management of the Buccoo Reef.

As park manager, she produced several policies, including the Buccoo Reef Marine Park User Policy and the Tobago Jet Ski Policy.

From 2020 to 2021, Peters worked as policy adviser to former chief secretary Ancil Dennis and was deputy chairman of the Buccoo Reef Policy Implementation Task Force.

She completed her undergraduate degree in geography at UWI’s Mona campus, Jamaica in 2006 and her first post-graduate degree in environment and sustainable development at the University College London, UK, two years later.

Peters did her second master's degree in integrated coastal and ocean management at the UTT from 2014-2016, winning the top student award.

She worked as the Tobago-based consultant on the voluntary national review of the sustainable development goals and more recently, conducted stakeholder consultations on both initiatives for the Commonwealth of Dominica.

Always willing to share her knowledge, Peters also worked as a part-time UTT lecturer, teaching the marine protected areas and tourism course at the undergraduate level.

“This was certainly one of the most rewarding experiences as I was able to share my knowledge and experience with young, energetic students.”

Originally from D’Abadie, Trinidad, the Bishop Anstey High School alumna recalled her love for the environment was influenced by her late father who encouraged her to watch the Discovery Channel instead of cartoons.

“I became especially interested, almost obsessed with sharks and would look forward to watching Shark Week with my dad.”

Despite her love for the environment and the sea, though, Peters said she was afraid of deep water and was not an exceptionally strong swimmer.

“It was only when I came to Tobago in 2011 to start the job as marine park manager in the THA that I conquered that fear of the deep.”

Peters recalled she was encouraged by her fiancee and Top Catch Charters owner Kirth Mc Pherson to snorkel in the Buccoo Reef. She never looked back.

“After one Sunday morning snorkelling, I completely fell in love with the underwater world and advanced soon after to scuba diving. Buccoo Reef remains my absolute favourite place and it has been my mission for the last ten years to protect it.”

Peters said Top Catch Charters offers eight unique tours which are customised to suit the needs of their clients. These include coastline tours to the famous Nylon Pool and No Man’s Land, the Cotton Bay tour and the Coast-to-Coast/Charlotteville tour. The tours offer snorkelling and fun fishing with gears included.

The tour boat offers sunset tours by way of excursions and dinner cruises for special events such as birthdays, engagements and anniversaries. Fishing charters are also available and are customised to suit the novice or advanced fisherman.

Peters said the latest addition to their portfolio is the sea spa tour, where clients can receive spa services such as facials, pedicures, body scrubs and massages on board the vessel. Top Catch Charters is also equipped with a floating, vintage-style tea shop.

As a bonus, Peters said the boat has a photographer, personal chef and decorator on all of its tours.

Clients also have the option of having the boat rental only or an all-inclusive package. On a typical day, bookings can start at 6 am and end at 9 pm.

As managing director, Peters is responsible for everything from overseeing the day-to-day operations of the business to strategic planning for longer-term goals and objectives.

Specifically, she interacts with clients, organises tours, compiles the crew roster, schedules vessel maintenance and manages the business’ finances.

Apart from performing the role of PRO/social media officer, Peters is also responsible for developing the vessel’s key performance indicators, ensuring environmental compliance and conceptualising new and exciting tours.

Peters said her position is very demanding.

“Essentially, it’s a full-time position as I’m constantly seeking to raise the bar with respect to our service and client experience.”

She said Top Catch Charters receives numerous calls during peak seasons such as Easter, July-August and toward the end of December into January.

Asked about the team’s preparations for Blue Flag, Peters said the process was rigorous and required the formulation of several policy documents.

She said they worked closely with the Tobago Tourism Agency Ltd (TTAL) and Green T&T – a local NGO which acts as the national coordinator for Blue Flag in TT – to understand the requirements and criteria to develop the policies.

These included an environmental management plan, human resource policy, emergency plan, environmental plan and a code of conduct.

Mc Pherson also had to provide information on the boat’s operating specifications to prepare several of the policies.

“We basically had to look at all our operations and determine where we could improve and become more sustainable. Fortunately for us, we were already engaged in environmentally sustainable practices, particularly with respect to our reusable bamboo and calabash utensils to reduce single use plastics.

“So, it was really a case of streamlining our operations and what we do on a daily basis into a document/policy format.”

Peters said although the team was already trained, they still decided to have more sessions to enhance their safety procedures on the vessel. They made several minor improvements to their signage and changed to environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Top Catch Charters, she said, was judged on over 50 individual criteria under broad headings, including environmental education and information, environmental management, safety and services, social responsibility and responsible tourism.

Despite its achievement, Peters said covid19 took a devastating toll on the business and the tourism sector, generally, in Tobago, over the past two years.

She said during the first phase of beach closures in early 2020, they used the opportunity to enhance the skills of their employees as three deckhands were trained as launch captains.

But the second closure in 2021 was much more difficult for them to navigate.

“Beaches remained closed long after other sectors were reopened and there was uncertainty as to when we would be able to resume operations. I think the past 2 years has been a tremendous blow to the tourism industry in Tobago.

“Many persons were left without an income and yet still having to foot the bill for vessel maintenance.”

Peters lamented that despite the removal of restrictions on tours last month, many operators still have not resumed business.

“Only time will tell how many operators survived this difficult and unprecedented period.”

Looking ahead, Peters envisions a transformed tour industry in Tobago – one which understands and appreciates the value and importance of the island’s natural resources and the need to adopt sustainable practices in every aspect of the industry.

“To remain relevant, we must embrace the eco-tourism movement and adjust our operations to suit that increasing market because tourists are looking for such an experience. Collectively, we also need to improve on our customer service so that we can compete with our regional neighbours.”

Peters is already at the forefront of the campaign promoting this thrust.

She is pursuing a doctorate in marine science at the UTT, finalising her thesis project which involves developing the first ever marine spatial plan for Tobago, specifically the Buccoo Reef.

“I do see myself still playing a major role, hopefully more so in encouraging sustainable practices in the industry and of course using my science background to improve the way in which we manage the marine environment.”

As for Top Catch Charters, “I see the expansion of our product, possibly to Trinidad and even regionally but more importantly, I see us as stewards of the marine environment, a role that can never change despite the passage of time.”