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.

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.

The 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.

Whereas 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.

 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

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.

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…

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.

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.

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.

Climate 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.

Nassau, Bahamas; Wednesday, October 23, 2013--Fisheries administrations from countries across the Caribbean are being hosted in The Bahamas this week, as a part of a series of discussions which will culminate with a multi-stakeholder dialogue on Friday, to chart future support for the region's initiatives to alleviate poverty while ensuring the sustainable management and development of shared fisheries resources.

As a part of the week's activities, the 6th Steering Committee Meeting of the ACP Fish II Programme will be convened under the auspices of CARICOM (the Caribbean Community) at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 24, 2013 at the Beach Tower Hotel, Atlantis, Paradise Island, New Providence.
The choice of The Bahamas to hold this meeting will allow for greater ownership by all permanent members of the Steering, and to decentralize the decision-making process of the programme.

Representatives of the CARICOM Secretariat, the ACP Fish II Programme, the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), the Bahamas Fisheries Administration, the European Commission, and the ACP Group of States Secretariat will speak at the opening of Thursday's Steering Committee meeting.

Caribbean countries have benefited from close to €3 million in program funding since the ACP Fish II Programme began in June 2009. To date, 18 of 32 regional, fisheries and aquaculture projects are completed. The remaining 14 projects are at various levels of development or close to being completed.

The ACP Fish II Programme has provided technical assistance, training and facilitation of workshops or meetings to beneficiary countries.

This 6th Steering Committee meeting has a special meaning for the Programme, since it will provide an opportunity for regional and extra-regional partners to conduct an overall evaluation of the performance of ACP Fish II, and analyze results and outputs achieved to date. More specifically, regional fisheries experts will assess the execution and implementation of the projects which target Caribbean States and Regional Fisheries Bodies, and they will furthermore reflect on the lessons learned throughout the Programme execution.

The ACP Fish II Steering Committee provides direction and validates the overall policy and program. Eight regional economic organizations (REOs) are the permanent members which constitute the Steering Committee: CARICOM,the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), the Economic Monetary Community of Central African States (CEMAC), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS).

“Future support to fisheries sector in the ACP Group” will be the subject of a round table discussion which will be convened at the Atlantis in Nassau on Friday, October 25. At this event, Programme officials will meet with the permanent members of the Steering Committee and local stakeholders to discuss the current situation facing fisheries in the programme regions and to discuss how the ACP Secretariat is positioned to support countries and regions to address priority areas requiring assistance.

Speakers at the round table will include Nisa Surujbally of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat; Milton Haughton of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM); Gustavo Miranda - ACP Fish II Programme Coordinator; Michel Batty of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA); Vivian Iwar of The Economic Community Of West African States / Communauté économique des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (ECOWAS/CEDEAO in French); Maria Louisa Ferreira of Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest-Africaine (UEMOA); Hélène Massan Fiagan and Achilles Bassilekin of the ACP Secretariat; and Aurélien Mofouma of the Communauté Economique des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale (CEEAC).

The Steering Committee meeting and Round Table follow the Fourth and Final ACP Fish II Programme Regional Monitoring Workshop, held since Monday at the same venue to conduct detailed appraisals of past and pending projects.

The ACP Fish II Programme, which is financed by the European Development Fund on behalf of ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of states) countries, endeavours to improve fisheries management in ACP countries to ensure sustainable exploitation of the fisheries resources under the jurisdiction of member countries. The four-and-one-half-year programme concludes next month.

Click HERE for more information.

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For more information, please contact:

Dr. Sandra Grant

Regional Manager for the Caribbean

ACP FISH II Programme

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.