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 
Analysis of Trends in Production, Fleet, Trade and Economic Contribution of the Fisheries and Aquaculture in CRFM Member States
Analysis of Trends in Production, Fleet, Trade and Economic Contribution of the Fisheries and Aquaculture in CRFM Member States
Pranaya Kumar Parida1, June Masters1 and Sandra Grant2
Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines1
Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism, Belize2
ABSTRACT
The mission of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism is “to promote and facilitate the responsible utilization of the region's fisheries and other aquatic resources for the economic and social benefits of the current and future population of the region.” The sector’s aim is to provide employment and food security for the people of the region. Analysis and validation of the trends based on data in the CRFM Statistics and Information Reports for 2002 to 2022 was conducted. A technical and stakeholder assessment was carried out to investigate the trends observed. The data revealed that the marine capture production, since 2018, has steadily declined, while only eight CRFM Member States were actively involved in aquaculture production. Regarding trade in fish, imports have steadily increased both in value and weight; and exports have not kept up with imports. Many aspects of the fisheries have changed, by issues such as overfishing, climate change, ghost fishing, irresponsible fish farming, habitat destruction, land-based pollution and IUU fishing. However, the fisheries and aquaculture sectors in the region continue to provide food and nutrition security for small-scale fishers and the people of the Caribbean region.
HOW TO CITE: Parida, P.K., J. Masters and S. Grant, 2026. Analysis of Trends in Production, Fleet, Trade and Economic Contribution of the Fisheries and Aquaculture in CRFM Member States. Contribution 3.2, p107-119 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=907
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Implementing a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan to Inform Fisheries Governance in the Wider Caribbean
Implementing a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan to Inform Fisheries Governance in the Wider Caribbean
Lucia M. Fanning1* and Robin Mahon2
Marine Affairs Program, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada1 Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, UWI, Cavehill Campus, Barbados2 *Corresponding author contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABSTRACT
Recognizing the complexity associated with the governance of fisheries in the Wider Caribbean, considerable effort and progress has been made over the past decade towards implementing a regional approach to effectively manage fisheries in the region. Given the proximity of the 45 countries and territories, coupled with the inherent transboundary nature of many of the key species found in the region, the effective management and governance of fisheries necessitates close collaboration among countries. Key to that collaboration is the need to optimize scarce human and financial resources through the collection and sharing of fisheries relevant data and information to better inform decision making at multiple levels. To assist with this task, countries of the CLME+ region (Caribbean Sea and North Brazil Current LMEs) adopted a 10-year Strategic Action Programme (SAP) for the Sustainable Management of the Shared Living Marine Resources of the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems. The SAP specified the development of a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan to track the progress towards achieving the SAP objectives and to facilitate adaptive management. Using the Governance Effectiveness Assessment Framework (GEAF) comprising seven categories of indicators aimed at assessing whether good governance arrangements are in place and whether they are achieving the intended objectives, this paper provides an assessment of the seven categories of the GEAF for the baseline period of the SAP (2011-2015). Fisheries data used in the assessment were provided primarily by countries in the CLME+ Region and by the relevant intergovernmental organisations. In some cases, data and information from third party sources were used. The expectation was that comparable M & E assessments would continue over sequential five-year intervals to track progress and inform multi-level decision making.
HOW TO CITE: Fanning, L.M. and R. Mahon, 2026. Implementing a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan to Inform Fisheries Governance in the Wider Caribbean. Contribution 3.1, p90-106 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=906
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The Need for Rigor in the Fisheries Space - Why the Term “IUU Fishing” is a Hindrance
The Need for Rigor in the Fisheries Space - Why the Term “IUU Fishing” is a Hindrance
Dr. Ian Ralby
President, Auxilium Worldwide,
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ABSTRACT
The term “IUU Fishing” has become colloquially synonymous with bad action in the fisheries space. To confront both the sustainability and the security implications of IUU Fishing, however, there is a critical need for greater rigour in defining and dissecting the problem sets so that meaningful solutions can be pursued. Illegal fishing, unreported fishing and unregulated fishing are each distinct issues. At the operational level, the actors who can address illegal fishing are usually maritime law enforcement agencies. But the same navies, coast guards and marine police forces that address illegal fishing have little ability to do anything about unregulated fishing. That is the purview of legislatures and regulatory agencies. So even as a bucket of three seemingly related matters, “IUU Fishing” is a problematic term that combines issues that must be addressed by different actors. Yet beyond illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing, there are also other fisheries issues that are being mislabeled as “IUU Fishing,” making it difficult to recognize their true nature, and thus find effective measures to tackle them. Drug trafficking on a fishing vessel, money laundering through the fishing sector, or using a fishing vessel to collect intelligence on a state’s maritime agencies are all outside of the ambit of “IUU Fishing,” but are certainly undesirable. In the Caribbean for example, criminal cartels are exploiting gaps between the actors and agencies focused on sustainability and those that are focused on security. As a result, fisheries crimes – both on the water and in the financial record books – undermine the credibility and the integrity of the fishing sector despite not having a direct impact on fish stocks. That degradation of the region’s fisheries space has also opened the door to state actors who are looking for inroads to gain strategic presence in the region. As a result, the Caribbean must become more rigorous in recognizing the spectrum of undesirable fishing-related activities throughout the maritime domain, and working within and between governments to combat them.
HOW TO CITE: Ralby, I. 2026. The Need for Rigor in the Fisheries Space - Why the Term “IUU Fishing” is a Hindrance. Contribution 2.7, p83-89 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=905
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The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies: CARICOM’s Interests, Participation and Outcome
The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies: CARICOM’s Interests, Participation and Outcome
Nigel Durrant*
Agricultural Trade Specialist
ABSTRACT
After a long-winded process that commenced in 2001, the World Trade Organization (WTO), in June 2022, achieved an agreement on the disciplining of fisheries subsidies. The impetus for the negotiations had been the realization, at least in some quarters, that subsidies were contributing to the degradation of the world’s fisheries resources. CARICOM Member States, all of which place importance on fisheries as a component of their food security and economic development strategies, have an interest in sustainable exploitation of those resources, and from the outset, placed the onus on the nations with large-scale, distant-water industrial fishing operations to address the problem. The 2022 agreement represents a very partial outcome, given that it fails to address the core problem of overcapacity, which is a major driver of global overfishing. This paper addresses the main issues in the negotiations, the positioning of CARICOM Member States, the alliances that were forged, the main fault lines that arose in the talks, and the prospects for a more substantial outcome in future negotiations.
HOW TO CITE: Durrant, N., 2026. The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies: CARICOM’s Interests, Participation and Outcome [Abstract]. Contribution 2.6, p82 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=904
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Developing a Policy Framework for Gender Mainstreaming in the Fisheries Sector
Developing a Policy Framework for Gender Mainstreaming in the Fisheries Sector
PETER A. MURRAY
Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Secretariat
ABSTRACT
Notwithstanding notable developmental policies and investments across the Caribbean Community during the late 1990’s to the 2010’s, there appears to have been a persistence of gender inequalities and inequities in several areas, including demography, employment, socio-economic status, participation and governance. Boys and men display low educational performance, social deviance, and numerical prevalence in the criminal justice system, while there have been impacts on women as a result of gender-based violence. Additionally, women’s labour force participation is not yet commensurate with educational attainment.
Consistent with their international obligations, CRFM Member States have sought to infuse gender equality commitments into their policy frameworks and instruments. These gender priorities are linked in varying degrees to the relevant treaties and the Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy (CCCFP).
The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) has been committed to effectively promoting and supporting the developmental objectives of its Member States. An essential component of the institutional enhancement of the CRFM was seen to be the production of a policy to guide comprehensive Gender Equality Mainstreaming into the plans, programmes, projects, and administration of the fisheries and aquaculture sector. A formal CRFM policy on gender equality in the fisheries sector would have been the framework through which gender analysis and planning could be integrated in a coherent manner at all levels of fisheries sector planning and programming to realise the developmental goals of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and the Treaty establishing the CRFM. This paper reviews the efforts to bring the fisheries sector up to par with Member States’ gender-related obligations and the notable achievements in that regard.
HOW TO CITE: Murray, P.A., 2026. Developing a Policy Framework for Gender Mainstreaming in the Fisheries Sector Contribution 2.5, p72-81 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=903
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A Review of National Intersectoral Committee (NIC) Governance Arrangements for Shrimp and Groundfish in the Northern Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (NBSLME)
A Review of National Intersectoral Committee (NIC) Governance Arrangements for Shrimp and Groundfish in the Northern Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (NBSLME)
Sanya S. Compton
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ABSTRACT
In the context of climate change and blue economic growth, the sustainable use of marine resources (including fisheries) is of national importance and interest. The countries within the Northern Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (NBSLME) are faced with many fisheries governance challenges. The movement of some shrimp and groundfish stocks across national marine jurisdictional boundaries requires national-level management measures that are well-aligned with transboundary approaches.
The successful implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) across the wider Caribbean is an objective of several international and regional partners. In 2019-2020 the Food and Agriculture Organization on the United National (FAO) and the University of the West Indies Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (UWI-CERMES) collaborated under the Caribbean Large Maine Ecosystem and Northern Brazil Shelf (CLME+) Project (2015-2020) sub-project on “Ecosystem Approach to Shrimp and Groundfish Fisheries in the North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem”. One of the key activities of the sub-project was an assessment of participatory governance arrangements, specifically national intersectoral committees (NICs) for marine and ocean governance, their existence and function, in three study countries (Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago).
This paper presents a review of the assessment of governance arrangements conducted for each country under the sub-project. Primary and secondary data were collected through literature review, content analysis, key informant interviews, workshops, and observations. For the purpose of this paper, key stakeholders in each country were consulted in June-July 2023 in order to validate and update information relevant to the current status of NICs. A main finding of the country assessments was that Fisheries Advisory Committees or Councils, where they existed, were the most suitable NIC for participatory governance. While information on NICs remains elusive, the paper also presents good governance principles useful to guide NICs in the NBSLME and beyond.
HOW TO CITE: Compton, S.S., 2026. A Review of National Intersectoral Committee (NIC) Governance Arrangements for Shrimp and Groundfish in the Northern Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (NBSLME). Contribution 2.4, p64-71 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=902
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Sustainable Fisheries Management and Development Suite of Laws for the Barbados Fisheries Sector
Sustainable Fisheries Management and Development Suite of Laws for the Barbados Fisheries Sector
Shelly-Ann Cox, Najla King, Christopher Parker, Gregory Franklin, Colvin Taylor, Therese Moore, Khyle Pooler, Adriel Jackman and Seymour Nurse
Fisheries Division, Bridgetown, Barbados
Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABSTRACT
The Sustainable Fisheries Management and Development suite of laws are part of a legislative reform project for Barbados’ fishing industry which commenced in 2019 under the auspices of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Blue Economy. This comprehensive and cutting-edge legislative framework aims to realize to the highest level the potential of Barbados’ fisheries sector and chart the way forward to sustainable development. The suite of laws is two-prong. The draft Sustainable Fisheries Management and Development Act and its regulations provides the legislative framework for the pre-harvest and harvest aspects of the fisheries sector, whereas the draft Sustainable Fisheries Management and Development (Seafood Markets and Businesses) Act, and its regulations, provides the legislative framework for the post-harvest sector. The new Fisheries Management Regulations (2023) will also be subsumed under the new Act. The suite covers a wide spectrum of areas to support fisheries governance and an adaptive co-management approach. It also presents innovative legal regimes including corporate social responsibility in fisheries, fisheries-specific payment for ecosystem services schemes, seafood traceability and fraud prevention in fisheries, and the creation of the Barbados Institute for fisheries and fisheries-related studies.
The suite of laws was approved by Cabinet on 18 May 2023 after several consultations with stakeholders at different points along the fisheries value chain. Since then, the drafting instructions have been sent to the Chief Parliamentary Counsel to be formalised. Further consultation with stakeholders is anticipated after the bill is drafted, followed by the formal presentation and debate in Parliament. Once enacted, the suite of laws will repeal and replace the existing 1993 Fisheries Act, Cap. 391.
HOW TO CITE: Cox, S-A., N. King, C. Parker, G. Franklin, C. Taylor, T. Moore, K. Pooler, A. Jackman and S. Nurse, 2026. Sustainable Fisheries Management and Development Suite of Laws for the Barbados Fisheries Sector. Contribution 2.3, p56-63 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=901
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Review of the Legal and Policy Framework for Sustainable Use of the Living Marine Resources of the CRFM Member States
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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The Regional Aspect of Fisheries Governance in the Wider Caribbean
The Regional Aspect of Fisheries Governance in the Wider Caribbean
Robin Mahon1* and Lucia M. Fanning2
Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, UWI, Cavehill Campus, Barbados1
Marine Affairs Program, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada2
*Corresponding author contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABSTRACT
The Wider Caribbean is the most geopolitically complex region in the world with 45 countries and states in close proximity to each other. Consequently, many fisheries management and development issues are transboundary. Many fisheries species straddle or migrate across national boundaries. These require close cooperation of the relevant countries for effective management. Other issues require close cooperation among countries for effective use of scarce human and financial resources. The institutional arrangements for fisheries are nested with three indigenous organisations covering most countries (CRFM, OECS and OSPESCA). However, major fishing countries such as the USA, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba are not members of any of these making the role of an umbrella organisation important. FAO WECAFC has played this role in the past. However, there are also transboundary biodiversity and pollution issues that are relevant to fisheries creating the need for engagement with the organisations that are responsible for these aspects as well. In the past 20 years through the GEF funded CLME Initiative significant progress has been made with developing a regional coordination mechanism for ocean affairs in the Wider Caribbean that is expected to provide the means of coordination for the many organisations and countries all of which have fisheries interests of one type or another. The establishment and operation of the coordination mechanism which is also to be funded by the GEF is now the major regional level institutional challenge facing the countries of the region.
HOW TO CITE: Mahon, R., and L. M. Fanning, 2026. The Regional Aspect of Fisheries Governance in the Wider Caribbean. Contribution 2.1, p47-54 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=899
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Inventory of Marine Fish and Aquaculture Factory Processing Establishment in CRFM Member States
Inventory of Marine Fish and Aquaculture Factory Processing Establishment in CRFM Member States
Sandra C. Grant*, Adele Ramos, June Masters, and Pamela A. Gibson
Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism Secretariat, Belize.
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ABSTRACT
To understand the factory fish processing industry in the Caribbean, the CRFM/CARICOM Fisheries and Aquaculture Priority Commodity Working Group (FISHCOM WG) developed tools to gather information on the industry to: (i) generate a listing of processing establishments in the CRFM Member States with contact information; (ii) understand the nature of their activities (what they process, type of processing/value-addition, level of trade); and (iii) identify challenges and opportunities experienced by fish processors. Data collection and assessments were done between April and August 2022, and all analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 26.
Altogether, 216 marine fish and aquaculture factory processing establishments were identified: 179 marine fish processors and 37 aquaculture processors. Generally, fish factory processing establishments in CRFM Member States were involved in processing and preparing frozen whole/fillet fish and chilled fresh fish. They provide diverse goods and services ranging from purchasing varied species of wild-caught marine fish from fishermen, fresh aquaculture products from farms, or frozen imported fish, to processing and selling on the domestic and/or export markets.
Networks and communication are key to strengthening the processors group. The CRFM developed a webpage with a Contact Management System for Processors, which will allow processors and other interested parties to search for information and develop networks between individuals/countries. Also, the CRFM/IICA Fisheries Food Safety Hub was developed to strengthen the SPS capacity in the fisheries sector across the Caribbean. The Hub has over 100 documents including manuals, PowerPoint presentations, videos, and other items on health checks and certification, capacity building resources across the value chain, and general information on food safety.
HOW TO CITE: Grant, S.C., A. Ramos, J. Masters, and P. A. Gibson, 2026. Inventory of Marine Fish and Aquaculture Factory Processing Establishments in CRFM Member States. Contribution 1.4, p33-46 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=898
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