Belize City, Belize, 7 October 2025 (CRFM)—Four Caribbean countries—Anguilla, The Bahamas, Dominica, and Montserrat—have signed on to the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), formalizing their membership in the 22-year-old institution, inaugurated in Belize City, Belize, in March 2003. The momentous signing was done en bloc at the Sixteenth Special Meeting of the CRFM Ministerial Council, held during the recently concluded Caribbean Week of Agriculture, hosted by Saint Kitts and Nevis under the auspices of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat.

Dr. Marc Williams, Executive Director of the CRFM Secretariat, welcomed the decisive move by the 4 Caribbean countries, which have been actively involved in the CRFM, which is an intergovernmental CARICOM institution.

The heads of delegations who signed the CRFM Agreement on Tuesday, 30 September 2025, on behalf of their respective governments are:

• Honourable Kyle Hodge, Minister of Economic Development, Industry, Commerce, Lands, Planning, Water, and Natural Resources, Anguilla;
• Mr. Montez Williams, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Agriculture & Marine Resources, The Bahamas;
• Honourable Roland Royer, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy, Dominica; and
• Honourable John Patrick Osborne, Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Housing, Environment, Youth Affairs, and Sports, Montserrat. 

From left to right: Mr. Montez Williams (The Bahamas), Hon. Roland Royer (Dominica), Hon. John P. Osborne (Montserrat), and Hon. Kyle Hodge (Anguilla) sign the CRFM Agreement en bloc

Dr. Williams said: “Currently, there are 17 Member States of the CRFM that have been actively involved in the effective management of the organization. The CRFM prides itself on meeting the needs of its members with the available resources. When attracting resources to support the implementation of our work program and alleviate the financial burden on Member States, the CRFM is frequently asked about its governance framework.” 

CRFM Executive Director, Dr. Marc Williams (center), welcomes the decisive move by Anguilla, The Bahamas, Dominica, and Montserrat to formalize their membership in the CRFM

He noted that the CRFM has adopted several key policies to improve its governance framework, including:

• The Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy (CCCFP), which enables participating States to collectively undertake the scientific research and studies necessary to determine the status of fish stocks, determine available fishing opportunities, and develop rational harvest strategies and fisheries management plans to ensure optimum sustainable use of the resources and protect the ecosystems;
• The Personal Data Protection Policy, which ensures that the roles and responsibilities of employees of the CRFM Secretariat (with respect to protecting personal data) are clearly defined, understood, and followed by all employees, and which provides procedural guidance on how the CRFM Secretariat and its governance bodies will implement the Policy;
• The Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Policy, which is a source of information and guidance for those working for the CRFM Secretariat and helps them recognize and deal with bribery and corruption, as well as understand their responsibilities;
• The Whistleblower Policy, which aims to provide a comprehensive framework that will not only protect whistleblowers from retaliation but also encourage a culture in the CRFM that values ethical behavior and the disclosure of information vital to the organization's short and long-term success and well-being.

The CRFM Executive Director added that the CRFM is making a conscious effort to ensure that its initiatives are gender-sensitive and considerate of the needs of youth and Indigenous peoples.

The CRFM’s 17 Member States are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The CRFM’s objectives include the efficient management and sustainable development of marine and other aquatic resources within the jurisdictions of Member States. The CRFM also promotes and establishes cooperative arrangements among interested States for the efficient management of shared, straddling or highly migratory marine and other aquatic resources. Furthermore, it provides technical advisory and consultative services to fisheries authorities of its Member States in the development, management and conservation of their marine and other aquatic resources. 

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Quick Facts:

• % Contribution to GDP: 1.0% (2008) est.
• Fishing Area: Shelf (116 550 sq. km.)
• EEZ: 64 000 sq. km.
• Fish Production: 4 521 mt (2008)
• Fish Value: B$73.9 million (2008)
• Fish Exports: 2 431 mt (2008)
• Fish Exports Value: B$82.1 million (2008)
• Fish Imports: 1 930 mt (2008)
• Fish Imports Value: B$14,502
• Per Capita Fish Consumption (kg): 11.9
• Number of Fishers: 9,300 (2005 Fisheries Census)
• Fish Vendors Permits: 23 (2008) Nassau, The Bahamas
• Fish Processors: 11 (2008)
• Fish Exporters: 18 (2008)
• Number of Importers: N/A
• Number of Aquaculture Farms: Nil
• Number of Aquaculture Farmers: Nil
• Fishing Gear Types: Nets, Hook & Line; Impaling Gear (Hawaiian Sling & Spear); Wire Pots and Wooden Traps; and Casitas/Condominiums and Hooks
• Subsidies: Duty free concessions on fishing boats, bonefishing skiffs, outboard engines, diesel engines, materials for fish pots/traps and assembled traps, freezing units and insulation for fishing vessels, reverse osmosis and ice making machines for fishing vessels and navigational equipment.

Note: Rate of Exchange – B$1 = US$1

Notes:

1. In CY2008, total fishery product production in The Bahamas was 9 176 metric tons (mt). Total landings was 4 521mt valued at B$73.9 million, the difference in weight between production and landings resulting primarily from the fact most crawfish are tailed at sea and the head, which represents two thirds the weight of the animal, is discarded.
2. Frozen crawfish tails accounted for 50.8% of total fishery product landings and 81.3% of the total value of all fishery product landings in CY2007. The value of frozen crawfish tails accounted for 94.4% of total fishery product and resource exports from The Bahamas during the same period. Fishery products refer to edible marine produce, while fishery resource refers to non edible products/resources.
3. In CY2008, scalefish landings totaled 1 333mt and represented 9.4% of the total value of all fishery product landings. Snappers accounted for 20.7% of all scalefish landings with a total value of B$4.6 million.
4. In CY2008, the conch export quota was approved at 181mt. Eight (8) special export licences to export the product were issued. Total exports amounted to 159mt with a value of $2.0 million. All exports were to the United States.
5. Eleven (11) sponge export licenses and two (2) shell export licenses were issued during CY2008. The total value of sponge exports was B$828,680 and all shell exports B$28,568.
6. In 2008, charges were brought against twenty-seven Bahamians for violation of the Fisheries Rules and Regulations. Charges included possession of undersized crawfish, possession of egg bearing crawfish, possession of undersized grouper, possession of Nassau Grouper during the closed season, possession of turtle during the closed season, use of illegal apparatus (air compressors) out of season and possession of noxious chemicals on board their fishing vessel. Fines levied against persons charged amounted to $23,000.00.
7. Four (4) foreign vessels were arrested in Bahamian waters in CY2008 for poaching. All of the vessels were from the Dominican Republic. All arrests were made in the southern and southeastern Bahamas namely, Cay Lobos, Guinchos Cay, the Brown Bank and Inagua. Charges included illegal fishing in The Bahamas, Long Line fishing and possession of fresh Nassau Grouper during the closed season. Charges were dropped against one of the vessels; a $30,000 fine was levied against the captain of another vessel and his vessel, fishing gear and fishery resources confiscated. The remaining two cases are pending in The Bahamas.
8. Fishing for Nassau Grouper in The Bahamas was observed for three months commencing 1 December 2008 and concluding 28 February 2009. During the 2007/2008 Nassau Grouper spawning season the fishery was closed for a period of two and a half (2½) months from 15 December 2007 to 28 February 2008.
9. CY 2008 was a very active year in relation to the ongoing work toward the establishment of a Network of Marine Protected Areas in The Bahamas. The goal for the year was to reassess all the proposed areas for the establishment of marine protected areas and collect GPS coordinates for the boundaries of each; and eventually after further consultation with stakeholders in the respective areas submit the list to the Cabinet of The Bahamas for final approval and declaration. In December, the Cabinet of The Bahamas concluded the first sites to be designated in the Network would be North Bimini (with some exceptions), South Berry Islands and the designated site in the Exumas from Jewfish Cays to mainland Georgetown, Exuma.
10. Lionfish continues to be a lingering concern for the Department of Marine Resources as this predator continues to reproduce rapidly and have begun to consume fish that is food for the Nassau Grouper and other members of the grouper family. Evidence to date indicates the Lionfish has been preying upon species of fish that is consumed by Bahamians. The department continues in its joint effort with the College of The Bahamas to study the Lionfish and learn the ways of the fish in order to deplete its population. The Lionfish could be used as food. The department continues its work with fishers to derive some economic benefits from the fish, which could assist in cutting down their numbers because of their rapid reproduction.