The fisheries sector in the CARICOM/CARIFORUM region employs over 182,000 persons, directly or indirectly (CRFM).

A 2012 CRFM Diagnostic Study to Determine Poverty Levels in CARICOM Fisheries Communities found that Belize and Guyana, followed by Grenada and Jamaica, were the countries with the highest percentage of poor and vulnerable households. It also revealed that the percentage of non-poor households is above the 75% with the exception of Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, and Grenada.

The nature of the fisheries of the region is varied. It ranges from the shrimp and ground fish stocks off Guyana and Suriname to the pelagic stocks off Trinidad and Tobago. The Region also contains the reef species of the Eastern Caribbean, and the conch and lobster stocks of Jamaica, The Bahamas and Belize. The migratory pelagic such as wahoo, tuna, flying fish and dolphin fish typically roam through the area (CRFM).

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Regional fisheries data compiled by CRFM Communications in September 2012. (Press Packet Data)