Anguilla 
Antigua and Barbuda 
Grenada 
Bahamas 
Barbados 
Belize 
Dominica 
Guyana 
Haiti 
Jamaica 
Montserrat 
St. Kitts and Nevis 
St. Lucia 
St. Vincent and the Grenadines 
Suriname 
Trinidad and Tobago 
Turks and Caicos 
Regional Cooperation on Marine Biodiversity and Fisheries Management in the Wider Caribbean Region
Corbin Christopher, UNEP-Cartagena Convention Secretariat; Rossin Lucile, Conruyt Géraldine and Pusineri Claire SPAW-RAC
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ABSTRACT
The Cartagena Convention is the only regionally binding legal agreement for the protection and sustainable development of the Caribbean Sea. Through its pollution and marine biodiversity programmes, the Convention Secretariat and its Regional Activity Centres (RACs) play a critical role in supporting protection of the marine environment and sustainable use of its resources. With the need for more effective regional policy coordination mechanisms for governance of the Caribbean Sea, the cooperation model established between the Secretariat and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) should be upscaled and replicated. Within the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR), several initiatives focus on integrated ocean governance, marine spatial planning, and an ecosystem-based approach to sustainably managing shared living marine resources. Linkages between fisheries management, marine biodiversity conservation and pollution prevention formed an ideal framework for existing cooperation between the Convention Secretariat and CRFM. The RAC for the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife Protocol (SPAW) of the Cartagena Convention supports Governments with information, technical expertise and assistance to develop and implement programs and projects for sustainable fisheries. Through a new initiative – CAMAC, SPAW RAC, builds on the relationship with CRFM to support the: 1) assessment of interactions between human activities and marine megafauna, 2) strengthening of regional cooperation, and 3) identification of recommendations for mitigation. Initial findings show that Caribbean fisheries are mainly artisanal, but fishing techniques and pressures vary between territories, some targeting mainly pelagics on FADs, while others still using nets and traps targeting reef and demersal fish. Most identified significant interaction cases involved sea turtles and sharks, only a few cases were identified for marine mammals and none for seabirds. This type of cooperation can guide how future programmes and projects are developed and ensure integration across the multiple agencies working on regional ocean governance.
HOW TO CITE: Corbin, C., L. Rossin, G. Conruyt and C. Pusineri, 2026. Regional Cooperation on Marine Biodiversity and Fisheries Management in the Wider Caribbean Region. Contribution 8.4, p555-562 IN CRFM, 2026. Volume I: Technical Papers. Presented at the CRFM 20th Anniversary Scientific Conference, 28-31 August 2023. CRFM Special Publication No. 37, CRFM Secretariat https://www.crfm.int/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=948
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