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BELIZE CITY, Friday, February 14, 2014―The 22nd Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM)―which has over the past two days been deliberating on matters such as coral reef management, the lobster fishery, and cooperation between CARICOM States and the French Island in fisheries―concludes today in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The CRFM Executive Committee consists of representatives of 6 member states of the regional inter-governmental fisheries organization. The membership of the committee is drawn from the Caribbean Fisheries Forum, a group of government officials, fishers and representatives of private companies from CRFM states tasked with providing technical support to the CRFM.

The Committee is addressing a number of important regional initiatives designed to ensure sustainable use of our fisheries resources and protect the marine ecosystems,” said Milton Haughton, CRFM Executive Director.

During the course of this week's meeting, the Executive Committee also worked on a legal instrument to strengthen regional cooperation for the conservation, management and sustainable use of the spiny lobster and the protection of its habitat, Haughton added.

The CRFM Executive Committee has been meeting since 2003. It holds inter-sessional meetings twice a year between sittings of the Caribbean Fisheries Forum, as its principal mission is to advance the Forum's work using a consensus-building approach.

 

 

Belize City, Friday, February 7, 2014—Fisheries professionals from member states of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) travel to Kingstown in St. Vincent and the Grenadines next week, to take part in a three-day workshop on the development of a CRFM strategy to improve fisheries statistics, data and information, as they also try to resolve capacity challenges confronting Caribbean countries.

The event, which will focus centrally on present and emerging fisheries information demands, is a joint collaboration of the CRFM and the United Nations University – Fisheries Training Program (UNU – FTP) in Iceland.  It will look at the use of data for economic analysis and fisheries management purposes; the realistic analysis of fisheries data for stock assessment purposes, and future data requirements arising from international markets.

“We want to step back and carefully examine what we have done over the past several years, identify what has worked and what has not worked; identify the weaknesses and constraints, and determine how best to address these,” said CRFM Executive Director, Milton Haughton. “We are taking a more systematic, a more adaptive, and a more comprehensive approach in order to remove the existing constraints that are preventing us from achieving our objectives, and to improve the availability of reliable scientific data and information for decision-making and effective fisheries management.”

Haughton said that they hope to formulate a strategy that countries can agree upon, and use to guide the deployment of their limited human and financial resources in a more strategic and targeted manner.

Participants, who will include fisheries experts from CRFM member states, the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the United Nations University in Iceland and Canada, are expected to come up with new strategies and approaches to improve collection, analysis and management of fisheries statistics in the context of the Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy, which identifies this as a priority for Caribbean states.

The joint workshop is in line with a long-term partnership between the CRFM and the UNU – FTP, aimed at building national and regional capacities for fisheries development and management in the region.

The participants are expected to engage in a review and discussion of several relevant activities and reports produced by Caribbean countries. They are also expected to arrive at an agreement on present and emerging fisheries information demands; to make recommendations for appropriate capacity-building options; and to suggest modalities for facilitating the agreed capacity-building schemes.

 

 

Belize City; Tuesday, February 4, 2014—Seventeen member states of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) are making their voices heard in a milestone international case on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing—dubbed Case No. 21—which is being reviewed by the International Tribunal on Law of the Sea (ITLOS), based in Hamburg, Germany.


According to the CRFM Executive Director, Milton Haughton, “this is a very important international case which should not only contribute to the development of international and domestic law in an area that is important for effective conservation and management of fisheries, but also clarify the law in respect of the responsibility and liability of States and international organizations for IUU fishing.”


To date, more than 20 countries—Saudi Arabia, Germany, New Zealand, People's Republic of China, Australia, Japan, the UK, Chile, the EU, Sri Lanka and the US—and 8 organizations have submitted written arguments on Case No. 21. Those organizations include the CRFM, the Central American Fisheries and Aquaculture Organization (OSPESCA), the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and the United Nations.

The latest order from ITLOS sets a deadline of Friday, March 14, 2014, for written submissions to be made in response to these arguments, before a final advisory ruling could be considered.


Case No. 21, lodged last March by the Sub-regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) (Africa), investigates issues such as the obligations of the flag State in cases where IUU fishing is perpetrated within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of third party States, and the extent of the flag State's liability. The SRFC is located in Dakar, Senegal, and comprises seven member states: Cape Verde, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

In its written statement submitted last November, the CRFM said: “As a matter of general principle, it is the CRFM's view that there should be no lacunae in the obligations and liability of states for IUU fishing activities conducted by entities within their jurisdiction and control...”

Last October in Guyana, the 4th Special Meeting of the CRFM Ministerial Council, made up of fisheries ministers of participating Caribbean states, discussed the request from ITLOS for the CRFM to submit a statement on Case No. 21. The CRFM Ministerial Council said that this provides the region with an opportunity to influence international jurisprudence on the question of IUU fishing.

The CRFM Secretariat, based in Belize City, had secured the services of Harvard University graduate, Professor Pieter Bekker, chair of International Law, Dundee University, UK; former Professor of law at Columbia University (New York); former staff lawyer at the International Court of Justice (ICJ); and a partner in the international law firm, Steptoe & Johnson LLP – one of the largest law firms in the USA, to assist with the preparation of the brief on behalf of the CRFM. The CRFM has, furthermore, indicated that it intends to have legal representation to make an oral presentation when oral proceedings are eventually held.

In its comprehensive written submission of 112 pages plus annexes, the CRFM, an inter-governmental body for regional fisheries cooperation, said that the most important rights of the coastal state relates to the right to prevent IUU fishing of its resources, such as the right to legislate and enforce its laws, to ensure sustainable development and management of fish stocks, and to take all necessary steps to prevent, deter, eliminate—and punish—IUU fishing in the coastal state's jurisdiction.

The CRFM's views are in line with its overarching mission to promote sustainable use of living marine and other aquatic resources in the Caribbean, by development, efficient management, and conservation of such resources.

The Caribbean fisheries organization also highlighted the duty of countries to manage shared stocks in the EEZ, which requires cooperation between states whose nationals fish within and without the EEZ. As for the question of liability, the CRFM said that it is primarily a question of domestic law, and it is ultimately one to be decided by domestic courts having competent jurisdiction.

On flag State responsibility, the CRFM says that where the flag State has failed to fulfill its obligations and damage has occurred, the flag State may be liable for the actual amount of the damage, but if no damage has occurred, although the flag State was found in breach, the consequences of the wrongful act are determined under customary international law.

Furthermore, the flag State is bound to make the best possible efforts to ensure compliance by vessels flying their flag, within the context of relevant international rules and standards, and domestic laws and regulations, especially those concerning the protection and preservation of the marine environment.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) notes that, “IUU fishing undermines national and regional efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks and, as a consequence, inhibits progress towards achieving the goals of long-term sustainability and responsibility.”

In July 2010, the CRFM adopted the Castries (St. Lucia) Declaration on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, in which member States renewed their efforts to establish a comprehensive and integrated approach to preventing, deterring and eliminating IUU fishing, by emphasizing the primary responsibility of the flag State in accordance with international law; and they committed to ensuring that nationals do not support or engage in IUU fishing. CRFM member states also undertook to ensure that they exercise full control over fishing vessels flying their flag, in accordance with international law.

 

Belize City; Tuesday, February 4, 2014—Seventeen member states of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) are making their voices heard in a milestone international case on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing—dubbed Case No. 21—which is being reviewed by the International Tribunal on Law of the Sea (ITLOS), based in Hamburg, Germany.


According to the CRFM Executive Director, Milton Haughton, “this is a very important international case which should not only contribute to the development of international and domestic law in an area that is important for effective conservation and management of fisheries, but also clarify the law in respect of the responsibility and liability of States and international organizations for IUU fishing.”


To date, more than 20 countries—Saudi Arabia, Germany, New Zealand, People's Republic of China, Australia, Japan, the UK, Chile, the EU, Sri Lanka and the US—and 8 organizations have submitted written arguments on Case No. 21. Those organizations include the CRFM, the Central American Fisheries and Aquaculture Organization (OSPESCA), the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and the United Nations.

The latest order from ITLOS sets a deadline of Friday, March 14, 2014, for written submissions to be made in response to these arguments, before a final advisory ruling could be considered.


Case No. 21, lodged last March by the Sub-regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) (Africa), investigates issues such as the obligations of the flag State in cases where IUU fishing is perpetrated within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of third party States, and the extent of the flag State's liability. The SRFC is located in Dakar, Senegal, and comprises seven member states: Cape Verde, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

In its written statement submitted last November, the CRFM said: “As a matter of general principle, it is the CRFM's view that there should be no lacunae in the obligations and liability of states for IUU fishing activities conducted by entities within their jurisdiction and control...”

Last October in Guyana, the 4th Special Meeting of the CRFM Ministerial Council, made up of fisheries ministers of participating Caribbean states, discussed the request from ITLOS for the CRFM to submit a statement on Case No. 21. The CRFM Ministerial Council said that this provides the region with an opportunity to influence international jurisprudence on the question of IUU fishing.

The CRFM Secretariat, based in Belize City, had secured the services of Harvard University graduate, Professor Pieter Bekker, chair of International Law, Dundee University, UK; former Professor of law at Georgetown University; former staff lawyer at the International Court of Justice (ICJ); and a partner in the international law firm, Steptoe & Johnson LLP – one of the largest law firms in the USA, to assist with the preparation of the brief on behalf of the CRFM. The CRFM has, furthermore, indicated that it intends to have legal representation to make an oral presentation when oral proceedings are eventually held.

In its comprehensive written submission of 112 pages plus annexes, the CRFM, an inter-governmental body for regional fisheries cooperation, said that the most important rights of the coastal state relates to the right to prevent IUU fishing of its resources, such as the right to legislate and enforce its laws, to ensure sustainable development and management of fish stocks, and to take all necessary steps to prevent, deter, eliminate—and punish—IUU fishing in the coastal state's jurisdiction.

The CRFM's views are in line with its overarching mission to promote sustainable use of living marine and other aquatic resources in the Caribbean, by development, efficient management, and conservation of such resources.

The Caribbean fisheries organization also highlighted the duty of countries to manage shared stocks in the EEZ, which requires cooperation between states whose nationals fish within and without the EEZ. As for the question of liability, the CRFM said that it is primarily a question of domestic law, and it is ultimately one to be decided by domestic courts having competent jurisdiction.

On flag State responsibility, the CRFM says that where the flag State has failed to fulfill its obligations and damage has occurred, the flag State may be liable for the actual amount of the damage, but if no damage has occurred, although the flag State was found in breach, the consequences of the wrongful act are determined under customary international law.

Furthermore, the flag State is bound to make the best possible efforts to ensure compliance by vessels flying their flag, within the context of relevant international rules and standards, and domestic laws and regulations, especially those concerning the protection and preservation of the marine environment.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) notes that, “IUU fishing undermines national and regional efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks and, as a consequence, inhibits progress towards achieving the goals of long-term sustainability and responsibility.”

In July 2010, the CRFM adopted the Castries (St. Lucia) Declaration on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, in which member States renewed their efforts to establish a comprehensive and integrated approach to preventing, deterring and eliminating IUU fishing, by emphasizing the primary responsibility of the flag State in accordance with international law; and they committed to ensuring that nationals do not support or engage in IUU fishing. CRFM member states also undertook to ensure that they exercise full control over fishing vessels flying their flag, in accordance with international law.

 

Friday, January 24, 2014; Belize City—As a part of a region-wide initiative to better position fishers to participate in decision-making, the Belize Fishermen Cooperative Association (BFCA) was this week presented with a Sony laptop computer and accessories, as well as important fisheries publications.
 
The presentation was made by Milton Haughton, Executive Director of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), who said that this was one of the final outputs of a project being jointly executed by the CRFM and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA).
 
Haughton said that the donation was being made to ensure that the BFCA is able to continue the work of exchanging information and improve interacting with their colleagues across the region and in Belize.
 
“Information sharing, the use of information technology, that's the way to go! And we're hoping that through the new website (for the Caribbean network of fisherfolk organisations) that was developed with funding under this project, with this hardware that you now have, and with training and sensitization that have been provided to representatives from fisherfolk organizations in various ICT tools, that this will go a long way in strengthening the interaction as well as the governance arrangements and your ability to participate in decision-making processes locally, nationally as well as regionally,” he added.


 
Receiving the donation on behalf of the BFCA was its chairman, Pedro Alvarez, who expressed his gratitude and asserted that the donation will be very valuable to the organization and to the fisherfolk of Belize, especially as they prepare to embark on local training programs.
 
The project titled Implementing the Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy: Positioning and engaging fisherfolk organizations, being implemented in partnership with the CRFM, the CTA and the Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Organisations (CNFO), aims to improve the quality of life of fisherfolk and nutrition in the CRFM-CARIFORUM region, as well as facilitate better engagement for the implementation of key regional policies.
 
Apart from receiving the computer hardware and software, the BCFA also received a series of policy and information documents relevant to national and regional fisheries issues, such as the adoption of the Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy, which the region is expected to conclude at the next meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government in February this year.
 
 

 

 

Belize City, Belize, Tuesday, December 17, 2013—Several Caribbean countries are exploring the use of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) to bolster earnings, increase employment opportunities and improve management and conservation of ocean pelagic species within their jurisdictions.

billfishThe expanding role of FADs in the Caribbean was explored at the CRFM / WECAFC-IFREMER-MAGDELESA / CARIFICO Workshop on FAD Fishery Management held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines from December 9 – 11, 2013.

Milton Haughton, Executive Director, CRFM Secretariat, said at the three-day workshop that, "Pelagic species, such as, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, blackfin tuna, marlin, and dolphinfish--which are the ones targeted by the use of fish aggregating devices--are very important to Caribbean countries because of their contribution to food and nutrition security and livelihoods in coastal communities.”

Haughton said that the reason why countries and fishers in the region are very interested in FADs is because they provide cost effective means by which the people of the region can obtain a greater share and optimum sustainable benefits from these straddling and highly migratory fish stocks which are utilized by several States within the region and beyond, in some cases.

He noted that the CARIFICO Project is not just about constructing FADS and increasing catches: "It is really about building local capacity of stakeholders and information base for co-management, improved conservation, and achieving optimum sustainable use of the fish stocks while safeguarding the marine ecosystems in which they are found."

Through the CRFM’s cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan has committed over US$3.26 million to improving the contribution of fisheries sector of the CARICOM States by way of the Caribbean Fisheries Co-management (CARIFICO) Project, designed to develop a fishery co-management approach suitable for each target country. "The application for the CARIFICO project was submitted to the Government of Japan in August 2011 and field implementation commenced May 2013, less than 24 months later. That is rapid turnaround for a project of this nature," Haughton said.

CARIFICO is currently working towards enhancing the partnership among fisher and countries through FADs co-management in six countries within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), to promote sustainable use of fisheries and aquaculture resources by development, management and conservation of these resources, in collaboration with stakeholders.

The Fisheries Division of Dominica noted that FAD fishing has helped to reduce pressure on the reef fish population, while encouraging new entrants into the fisheries sector. Nearly 60% of the fish catch in Dominica is now coming from FADs.

2002 FAD pilot in BelizeWhereas Belize has not yet deployed FADs for commercial fishing, two experimental FADs were constructed and deployed around Turneffe atoll as part of a pilot project initiated in 2002. Fish species found around the FADs included snappers (Lutjanus spp), jacks (Carangidae spp) and dolphinfish (Coryphaenidae).

Antigua and Barbuda is well on the way with the development of a FAD fishery. They plan to update regulations to include FAD fishing licenses. They have begun consultation on policies for operating around FADs and in early 2014, fishers will receive training in FAD design and construction.

Although there is no FAD fishery in Trinidad, in Tobago, approximately around 100 fishers (25% of fishers) use FAD during the flying fish season. Fisheries officials in that country report that FADs have been constructed from mangrove wood or bamboo at costs ranging from $800 to $2,500 TT ($125 - $390 US). The average weight of the catch is 250 to 400 lbs of dolphinfish and 1000 lbs of flying fish.

The FAO/WECAFC, IFREMER, and the French funded MAGDELESA Project co-hosted the recent FAD workshop, along with the CARIFICO Project and the CRFM.

All CARICOM States with the exception of Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica were represented at the workshop. St. Eustacius, representing the Netherlands Caribbean Islands, Martinique and Guadeloupe participated.

Officials of the Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Organisations (CNFO), the University of the West Indies, the University of Florida Sea Grant, and the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem (CLME) Project were in attendance.

FAD Workshop Group Photo

 

 LINK TO WORKSHOP DOCUMENTS AND PHOTOS 

http://www.crfm.net/index.php/projects/other-regional-projects-3/crfm-administrative-reports-10/item/265-fad-workshop-december-2013-documents.html

 

Sunday, 15 December 2013 16:58

Leading Fisheries Issues discussed

This video series looks at an array of fisheries issues, such as the potential expansion of earnings through value-added technology, such as using fish by-products for making leather and pharmaceuticals. There are eight clips in this playlist.

 

 

Friday, 06 December 2013 06:53

Cutting the cost of the tuna catch

 

CFRM states explore Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) as cost-cutting emergent technology

Belize City, Belize, Thursday, December 5, 2013—For several years, the Caribbean region has been exploring the use of an emergent technology for increasing catch of deep sea fishes such as tunas at a much lower cost. This technology, dubbed Fish Aggregating Devices (FAD), has already been deployed with limited use in some Caribbean countries, and fisheries authorities are now looking at prospects of their wider use in the region, but conservation and proper management are at the heart of any prospect of success.

In order for the Caribbean to derive tangible benefits from the use of FAD, the devices must be properly managed and regulated. The harm that can be done by the unplanned use of the device, and by poor management and regulation, could result in major losses of not just fishery investments—but also of the fishery resources upon which the region depends for employment, food security and nutrition.

The CRFM-JICA CARIFICO / WECAFC-IFREMER MAGDELESA Workshop on FAD Fishery Management, to be held next week, will provide a forum for participating countries and agencies to review and share research results and best practices in the construction, use and management of FADs as tools for sustainable development, management and conservation of large pelagic resources in the Caribbean.

The workshop will be held from Monday, December 9 to Wednesday, December 11, 2013, at the Methodist Church Hall, in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AGENDA)

At the event, the participating countries and institutions will provide status reports on FAD fisheries, the target fish resources and their management. Fish often caught with FAD include the blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), the yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), and the blackfin tuna (Thunnus atlanticus).

National Fisheries Authorities from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago will be represented.

Additionally, senior representatives from key regional and international fisheries related organizations and initiatives involved in FAD fisheries management activities such as Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Caribbean Network of Fisheries Organization (CNFO), Japan International Cooperation Agency, The French Institute for Ocean Research (IFREMER), UN-Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/WECAFC; UWI, and University of Florida, will attend the Workshop.

Future work plans and action plans for the countries directly involved in the implementation of field activities under the CARIFICO Project will be discussed at the upcoming meeting.

Finally, research findings and recommendations from the French-funded (IFREMER) MAGDELESA project will be presented and recommendations made to FAO-WECAFC and CRFM on the further use and management of FAD in the Caribbean. The workshop will feature presentations from CRFM member countries; key experts representing CRFM, IFREMER, JICA, and FAO/WECAFC. In 2011 and 2012 the MAGDELESA project successfully deployed FADs in Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts, and St. Vincent. (See links to projects on the Downloadable Resources page, at the end of this release.)

In March 2013, the CRFM and JICA jointly organized the FAD Fishery Management Workshop as a follow-up to the CRFM-JICA Master Plan FAD pilot activities, at which best practices in the construction, use and management of FADs were discussed.
Subsequently, the Caribbean Fisheries Co-management Project (CARIFICO)—a joint collaboration between the CRFM member countries and JICA—was initiated on May 1, 2013 and it will run for approximately 5 years.

More below…

 

FAD USE IN THE CARIBBEAN

In Antigua and Barbuda, new fisheries regulations have been enacted in 2013 and this makes provisions for the deployment of FAD’s with permission from the Chief Fisheries Officer. The registration and licensing of vessels and fishers as well as the display of identification marks and numbers on vessels are all tied to the conditions for FAD fishing.

Dominica reported that landings of yellowfin tuna, Atlantic blue marlin, skipjack and blackfin tuna, both on the East (Windward) and West (Leeward) coast of the island increased, as a result of FAD fishing.

Grenada has reported that currently there is only one FAD deployed that is active. It is part of the MAGDELESA FAD Project from IFREMER. The Fisheries Division is the designated management entity. There are 28 fishing vessels executing fishing operations off the said FAD.

In St. Kitts and Nevis, over the past 5 years the concept of FADs was resuscitated through a series of workshops that were held island wide. 18 privately owned FADs were constructed and deployed in the waters of the Federation. FADs were seen as measures to; reduce fishing pressure on reef fishery, lure new entrants to the sector, enhance food security and sports fishing.

In Nevis, the success of one fisher who continued FAD fishing since then (1999 - 2008) is recorded as having landed 61,160 lbs of pelagic species with dolphin-fish (mahi mahi) making up over 70% of the catch.

FADs are currently being constructed and deployed by fishers in St Lucia, in collaboration with the Fisheries Division. FADs are deployed on both the east and west coast of the island.

On 15 March 2012, two FADs were deployed on the western coast of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The deployment of these FADs are part of a project known as the MAGDELESA project and was done in collaboration with IFREMER and the Fisheries Division. One FAD was deployed 3 miles offshore on the western coast of St. Vincent and the other 5 miles on the western coast of Bequia. They are single head buoy FADs with a GPS indicator that gives real time information on the floatation device’s present position.

Reference: CRFM, 2013. Report of the CRFM / JICA Fish Aggregating Devices (FAD) Management Workshop for OECS Countries, 13 March 2013, Roseau, Dominica. CRFM Technical & Advisory Document, No. 2013 / 5. 61p.

BACKGROUND

In response to the request from the CRFM member countries, the Government of Japan through JICA implemented a technical cooperation project on “Formulation of Master Plan on Sustainable Use of Fisheries Resources for Coastal Community Development in the Caribbean” from 2009 to 2012.

Baseline surveys were conducted in 13 target countries from May to December 2009 to understand the current situation and issues that the fisheries sector faces. Based on the analysis of the data and information collected during the baseline surveys, a preliminary master plan was produced and potential pilot projects were identified in February 2010.  Fishing Aggregating Device (FAD) Pilot projects were implemented in Dominica and St. Lucia during 2010/2011, aquaculture Pilot activities in Jamaica and Belize, and Fishery Statistical pilot projects were implemented in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Guyana.

The FAD Pilot Project implemented during the development of the Master Plan confirmed that diversification of coastal fishery using FADs has great potential and can be used as a tool to involve fishers and their organizations in the sustainable use of large pelagic fishery resources. However, unregulated and excessive number of FADs may cause overexploitation of large pelagic fishes which could reduce the economic advantage of having such devices.

Since fisheries policy and resource management plans and budget structures are not properly developed and in place at the national level and no joint regional management systems are in place for the coastal pelagic and other shared resources, there is some concern that these resources could become overexploited. To address this issue, a multinational master plan for fisheries resource management and development is needed.

The Final Report of the Master Plan proposed (1) to establish practical co-management models for sustainable use and management of the fisheries resources, (2) to promote participatory resource management and development toward co-management, and (3) to formulate and strengthen the regional network by sharing the local expertise and lessons learned in each country.


DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES

FAD PHOTOS:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/106585470@N03/sets/72157638305927613

FAD VIDEOS

http://youtu.be/BFr2LW8MI0E

http://youtu.be/eZo38PUTRis

 

FAD Deployment in the Caribbean:

St. Vincent: http://en.magdelesa.eu/Zoom-Illustrations/Deployment-of-FADs-in-St-Vincent-and-the-Grenadines

Dominica: http://en.magdelesa.eu/Zoom-Illustrations/Deployment-of-FADs-in-Dominica

St. Kitts/Nevis: http://en.magdelesa.eu/Zoom-Illustrations/Deployment-of-FADs-in-St-Kitts-and-Nevis

Grenada: http://en.magdelesa.eu/Zoom-Illustrations/Deployment-of-two-FADs-Magdelesa-in-Grenada

FAD REPORT

RAP PUBLICATION 2012/20

Anchored fish aggregating devices for artisanal fisheries in Southeast Asia: Benefits and risks

Download Full Report  1.80 Mb

http://www.fao.org/docrep/017/i3087e/i3087e00.htm

 

WASHINGTON, DC, USA, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2013--The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), has made a formal request on behalf of the Caribbean Community to the United States-CARICOM Council on Trade and Investment, to reject the petition of WildEarth Guardians, an environmental NGO based in Denver, Colorado, USA, calling on US authorities to list the Queen Conch (Strombus gigas) as a “threatened” or “endangered” species under the USA Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Speaking at a meeting of the Council held in Washington, D.C., on Friday, November 15, CRFM Executive Director, Milton Haughton said: “We oppose the petition to list the Queen Conch as an endangered or threatened species on the ground that the petitioner’s information is unreliable and obsolete.”

The Queen Conch is a high-value species, in high demand on the international market. Haughton noted that such a listing could restrict or prohibit Caribbean imports of Queen Conch to the US.

At the meeting of the US-CARICOM Council on Trade and Investment, senior officials discussed, among other things, the removal of barriers to bilateral trade as important work to be done under the recently inaugurated US-CARICOM Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).

“If Queen Conch is listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA, conch exports from the CARICOM States to the United States market would be prohibited,” Haughton noted. “This would result in significant social and economic hardship for thousands of Caribbean fishermen, fish processors/exporters and their families, and fishing communities, and undermine peace and stability in coastal communities that rely on the Queen Conch resource, because it will effectively deprive them of their source of income and livelihoods.”

Most of the information presented in the WildEarth Guardians petition in respect of CRFM States is outdated and simply incorrect, the CRFM Executive Director added.

WildEarth Guardians recently threatened suit against US authorities, after it claimed a number of deadlines for action on the petition were missed. The NGO filed the petition in March 2012, and the 12-month finding, was due in March of 2013. A decision on the petition is still pending.

The CRFM Secretariat has consulted with its Member States, and in October 2012, it submitted a response to the US Department of Commerce, rebutting the WildEarth Guardians Petition and asking the US Government to reject the petition.

Meanwhile, WildEarth has filed a legal challenge against the US National Marine Fisheries Service, over the delayed petition decision.

The Queen Conch petition states that the species is declining and threatened with extinction due to habitat degradation, specifically, water pollution and destruction of sea grass nursery habitat; overutilization resulting from commercial harvest, inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms, and other natural and manmade factors such as biological vulnerability, human population growth, and other synergistic effects.

Haughton told the US-CARICOM Council on Trade and Investment, though, that the CRFM states disagree with the claim that Queen Conch is being harvested at unsustainable levels, resulting in population declines, stock collapses, as well as recruitment and reproductive failure.

Haughton acknowledged that, “Concerns about the health and long-term survival of Queen Conch and accompanying evidence of population declines in some countries led to the inclusion of Queen Conch on Appendix II of the Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1992.”

He explained that the Appendix II listing is used for species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but may become so unless international trade in the species is regulated, to avoid utilization incompatible with the survival of the species.

“Since 1992, CITES has been monitoring and regulating international trade and by extension, management, protection and conservation of Queen Conch to ensure sustainable trade and sustainable use more generally,” Haughton said.

According to the CRFM, “the petitioner made no effort to obtain current, readily available information regarding the conservation status and management systems for the Queen Conch fisheries in the 17 CARICOM / CRFM Member States before submitting its petition.”

Haughton said that the listing would be “unreasonable, disproportionate, unfair, inequitable, and inappropriate” in addressing the issues in question. It is an unnecessary and unreasonable barrier to trade in the species, he stated.

The petition should be rejected, as the available evidence does not support the claim that the Queen Conch is a threatened or endangered species, in the context of the Endangered Species Act, Haughton told the US-CARICOM Council on Trade and Investment.

Thursday, 24 October 2013 22:28

CRFM concerned over future of region's seafood

GUYANA, 24 October 2013--The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) expresses concern over the future of the region’s seafood reserves saying that climate change has a rippling effect on the fisheries sector.

IMG 20131009 165441Climate change will affect not only the fish and their habitats, but also industry performance and all the human social and economic benefits derived from this, according to the CRFM’s Deputy Director, Dr Susan Singh-Renton. She said, “The direct, more immediate impacts that we can expect to see are deterioration in the quality of the marine habitats and accompanying declines in local marine resources through effects on their production and availability.”

Dr Singh-Renton outlined that there will be ripple-on impacts for industry livelihoods and the contribution of fresh fish in meeting the region’s food and nutrition security demands. She added, “The tourism industry will also take a big hit, as the typical Caribbean vacation will offer poorer sand and sea recreational activities .”

“Caribbean marine life is being threatened throughout the range of supporting habitats. Sea grass beds, mangrove swamps, coral reefs and the open ocean will face changed conditions, affecting sea life in both nursery grounds and adult living areas,” according to Dr Singh-Renton.

The coral reefs are being affected by ocean acidification, increased sea temperatures that are known to cause coral bleaching, excessive sedimentation from land-based sources usually through flooding. Dr Singh-Renton emphasized that the region’s coral reefs are described as among “the ‘richest ecosystems on earth’, and should be carefully monitored and conserved.”

Other factors which have the potential to affect Caribbean fisheries include changes to ocean current patterns (which influence the migration patterns of larger fish) and riverine inputs, which provide much needed nutrients to local fish stocks. Dr. Singh-Renton noted that riverine inputs of nutrients are also at risk from climate change, which can alter the flow and volume of riverine material in coastal waters.

Dr Singh-Renton was speaking at a forum on “Inclusive Evidence Based Coverage of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Caribbean” at the 12th Caribbean Week of Agriculture which took place in Guyana in October 2013.

 

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