Review of the Legal and Policy Framework for Sustainable Use of the Living Marine Resources of the CRFM Member States

Milton O. Haughton

CRFM Secretariat, Princess Margaret Dr., PO Box 642, Belize City, Belize

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ABSTRACT

The CRFM was legally established in 2002 and officially launched in March 2003 by CARICOM States as a regional fisheries body to promote sustainable use of the living marine and other aquatic resources within their jurisdiction by the development, efficient management and conservation of such resources. This paper provides a brief overview and analysis of the development of the legal and policy framework and regional cooperation among the CRFM Member States to achieve sustainable use of the marine living resources over the past 20 years.

The 2002 Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism is a framework treaty which sets out the objectives and basic principles, standards, and rules for achieving the purpose for which the organization was established. It has over the past 20 years been strengthened and enhanced by several regional policy documents such as the Castries Declaration on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, the Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy, the St. George’s Declaration on Conservation, Management and Sustainable Use of the Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus), and various Ministerial Resolutions aimed at addressing general and specific technical issues as well as policies aimed at improving general governance and decision-making processes among the participating countries.

HOW TO CITE: Haughton, M.O., 2026. Review of the Legal and Policy Framework for Sustainable Use of the Living Marine Resources of the CRFM Member States [Abstract]. Contribution 2.2, p55 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=900

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