Fisheries and aquaculture, including mariculture, supports food security, sustainable livelihoods, trade, employment, and even cross-sectoral growth across the Caribbean economy—both the blue and the green economies which span sectors across terrestrial and coastal marine expanses.

Small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in Member States of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) employ almost 540,000 people, including women and youth, accounting for 6% of the labour force of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), according to data compiled and analysed by Mrs. June Masters, Statistics and Information Analyst at the CRFM Secretariat.

Across the seventeen CRFM Member States, almost 130,000 fishers—approximately 10% of them females—harvested an estimated 150,000 tonnes of seafood valued at US$527 million during 2023, from the marine capture fisheries.

Since 2003, the domestic marine capture fisheries of CRFM Member States had contributed 40% to total sector production, whereas the high seas fisheries (still active only in Belize) added 58%, and aquaculture (including seamoss mariculture) - 2% to the total fish production.

Marine capture fisheries production stood at 335,196 tonnes (in live weight) in 2023, although over the prior 21 years (2003-2024), the annual average was 389,473 tonnes.

From 2023 to 2024, CRFM Member States imported approximately 87,200 tonnes of fish and fish products valued at US$ 348.4 million annually, while the countries exported 47,000 tonnes valued at US$ 231 million.

For the period spanning 2004 to 2022, the annual average value of seafood traded between CARICOM countries was estimated at US$50 million. The fish exports with the highest average values were fish fillets and frozen fish. Exports across the region included live fish, fish dried, salted or in brine, and smoked fish.

Noting an overall decline in marine capture fisheries production and an opportunity to improve growth and employment in the fisheries and aquaculture sector across CARICOM, Ministers responsible for fisheries, aquaculture and the blue economy in CRFM Member States took a bold and decisive move to set new goals. The Ministers deliberated and formulated their decisions during the 16^th Special Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM)—an institution of CARICOM—convened on September 30, 2025, in Saint Kitts and Nevis, during Caribbean Week of Agriculture 2025.

Leveraging data to improve production and earnings

At its 14^th Special Meeting convened during the 18^th Caribbean Week of Agriculture, held in 2024 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Council had stressed the need for the CRFM to take the lead in transforming the statistics and information into actionable knowledge through focused assessments and analyses of the data. It charged the CRFM Secretariat to develop prescriptive measures geared at optimising Caribbean blue economic growth and sustainable aquaculture (including mariculture), as well as to improve the production metrics and earnings for those working in the sector across CRFM Member States. At its recently held meeting, the Council set a timeline of early 2026 for the CRFM Secretariat to report back on actions taken to deliver upon this mandate.

Strengthening CARICOM’s Labour Force

Via Resolution No. SMC 16 (02) of 2025, passed in September 2025, the Council furthermore requested the development of an action plan for increasing employment in the fisheries and aquaculture sector over the next 5 years, from the current reported level of 6% of the CARICOM labour force.

It recommended that attention be given to value-added products and processing as a means of boosting employment opportunities in the fisheries and aquaculture (including mariculture) sector.

Boosting intraregional trade in CARICOM

Another noteworthy decision passed by the Council is its directive for the CRFM Secretariat to present a special report to the Council for adoption in 2026, on strategies for improving fisheries trade—with a focus on intraregional trade—using the lessons learned from experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CRFM Ministerial Council showed keen interest in reports from the CRFM Secretariat signaling that intra-regional trade yielded notable improvements during the pandemic and post-pandemic period. Intra-regional trade—that is, trade in fisheries and aquaculture products between CARICOM countries—accounts for approximately 15% of CARICOM’s regional trade, according to data available to the CRFM.

For the period spanning 2004 to 2022, the annual average value of seafood traded between CARICOM countries was estimated at US$50 million. The fish exports with the highest average values were fish fillets and frozen fish. Exports across the region included live fish, fish dried, salted or in brine, and smoked fish.

Tuesday, 1 December 2025 (CRFM)—Mr. Peter A. Murray, Advisor, Fisheries Management and Development, represented the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Secretariat at the Second Annual Food Security Forum, hosted by Blue Ventures in Belize City on Friday, 28 November.

Mrs. Breanna Mossiah-Conorquie, Blue Ventures Country Director, delivered the Opening Remarks. She stated that this forum is essentially being hosted by fishers. 

"Their input can be the foundation of efficient food systems. Local knowledge can guide action at the national level," she added.

She explained that Blue Ventures' strategy is based  on a bottom-up approach, with human rights principles being central.

Murray said that at the Forum, Belizean fishers in the opening panel emphasised the importance of their involvement in the decision making process. He added that they are also concerned about legal restrictions that prevent training of younger persons (under 18 years) by not allowing hands-on, at sea, involvement. Views were also expressed that fishers are limited in resources to find new fishing grounds, given that (1) the traditional ones seem to be showing signs of depletion and (2) they do not want to encroach on protected areas. 

Forum attendees also discussed the importance of investigating how "deep sea" fishing can benefit fishers' livelihoods, especially with increases in protected areas, as well as the need to sensitise markets with regard to "new" target or caught species. It was also noted that receiving feedback from the Belize Fisheries Department on stock status is imperative.

 Panel members from left to right: Mr. Carlos Arevalo of Chunox Fishermen Association; Mr. Mark Thompson of Wabafu Fishermen Association; Ms. Isela Martinez of Blue Water Fishermen Association; Mr. Marley Nunez of Yugadan Fisherfolk Association; and Mr. Victor Jacobs of Southern Grassroots Fishers Association. Moderator (standing) Jennifer Chapman, independent consultant and conservationist

 FAO representatives–Mr. Jeffy V. Gomez, FAO Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management Project Specialist (left), and Mr. Armando Aban, FAO National Consultant for Belize–presenting on their support to fisheries and coastal zone management in Belize

The FAO representatives outlined the FAO's work in Belize on agriculture, blue economic development and school feeding programmes. Among the work done by the FAO is a gender analysis of the fisheries sector and based on this, a gender strategy and action plan with an M&E strategy were also formulated. Other achievements include a vulnerability and livelihood assessment for 4 communities and the development of a National Adaptation Strategy for Fisheries and Coastal Zone.

An FAO study has shown that 5.9% of Belize's population suffers from severe food insecurity and 45% from moderate food insecurity. The FAO supports school feeding programmes, and 78 schools (serving 15,000 children) were benefiting. It was noted that no fish is included in the feeding programme, so there is an opportunity for fishers to contribute.

 Mr. Nestor Perez of National Fishermen Cooperative Society Limited spoke on "the business of seafood security" and expressed the hope that improvements will come soon!

Mr. Murray’s presentation focused on CARICOM Regional Food Security Policies, with an emphasis on the Protocol on Aquatic Foods as a Strategic Resource for Food and Nutrition Security under the Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy (CCCFP), which the CRFM Ministerial Council approved in 2023 as a part of the Policy.

He underlined the importance of fish and seafood in the diet of the Caribbean people. He said that fish and seafood represent healthier options in terms of protein content and other health benefits and can contribute positively to a reduction in lifestyle diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes.

Mr. Murray added that CARICOM’s “large ocean states” are dependent on fishing for food, social welfare, employment, among other things. Notwithstanding efforts to boost seafood production and access, he said, the region is still a major importer of the commonly consumed fish and seafood. Murray said that for shifts in consumption to occur, attention needs to be given to production, utilization, legal framework, and education to facilitate and support sustainability and proper management of the resources; support by governments for the strengthening of the fisheries sector; and public education with respect to the choice of fish and seafood that would provide optimum benefits and minimum disadvantage.

The CARICOM Regional Food and Nutrition Security Policy, approved in 2010, addresses:

• FOOD AVAILABILITY: Promote the sustainable production of safe, affordable, nutritious, good quality Caribbean food commodities/products;
• FOOD ACCESS: Ensure access of Caribbean households and individuals to sufficient,  nutritious affordable food at all times;
• FOOD UTILIZATION/NUTRITIONAL ADEQUACY: Promote the commercialization and consumption of safe, affordable, nutritious, quality Caribbean food commodities/products; and
• FOOD STABILITY: Improve the food and nutrition security resilience of the region to natural and socio-economic shocks and climate change.

Meanwhile, the CRFM's Protocol on Aquatic Foods as a Strategic Resource for Food and Nutrition Security under the Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy aims to support the sustainable use of fish and seafood as a strategic resource for food and nutrition security for the peoples of the Caribbean. 

Mr. Murray also noted that the CARICOM enabling frameworks established by the Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy and its Protocol on Securing Small-Scale Fisheries and the CARICOM Regional Food and Nutrition Security Policy provide a coherent and comprehensive framework for identifying, financing, implementing, and monitoring an integrated set of concrete actions.

These policy instruments, he explained, guide the region’s collective efforts to achieve the objectives of food availability; food access; proper food utilisation for good health, nutrition and well-being; and stable and sustained food supply; as well as providing opportunities to reassess and refocus Member States’ policies, programmes and investments at the national and regional levels.

As COP30 begins in Brazil, bringing together global leaders to address the escalating climate crisis, this short article will focus on a critical and imminent climate tipping point: the potential breakdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and its impacts on Caribbean fisheries and countries. For CARICOM States, which already face existential threats from increasingly powerful hurricanes, sea-level rise, altered rainfall patterns, and destabilization of coastal ecosystems and marine living resources, the demise of the AMOC could have dire and immediate consequences, demanding urgent attention from the international community and national and regional policy-makers. The breakdown of the AMOC, often referred to as a slowdown of the ocean's "conveyor belt," would dramatically destabilize and alter global and regional weather, rainfall, the marine environment, fish stocks, and undermine the national economies, food security, and livelihoods across the region.

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Belize City, Belize, 9 October 2025 (CRFM)— The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) sealed its first bilateral accord with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. The signing was executed during the Sixteenth Special Meeting of the CRFM Ministerial Council, held in Saint Kitts and Nevis during Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA)—an annual event convened by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat.

The signatories of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) are Dr. Marc Williams, Executive Director of the CRFM Secretariat, and H.E. Dr. Didacus Jules, Director General of the OECS. Dr. Williams hails the MoU as a pivotal instrument for solidifying and strengthening the established relationship between the CRFM and the OECS—8 of whose members are also members of the CRFM. These countries are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

H.E. Dr. Didacus Jules, Director General of the OECS (left), with Dr. Marc Williams, Executive Director of the CRFM Secretariat, at the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding during CWA 2025

(Photo: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources, Saint Kitts and Nevis)

Dr. Williams said: “For many years, the CRFM and the OECS have collaborated on initiatives to support their respective Member States… The informal relationship has worked well for both the CRFM and the OECS, but there is a need to establish official relations. As a result, the signing of the MoU will initiate a collaboration that will guide and formalize cooperation between the CRFM and the OECS for the execution of related and relevant activities in specific areas of fisheries-related matters.”

Dr. Jules said that the MoU, which spans 2025 to 2028, “represents bringing the collaboration between the OECS and the CRFM to a whole new level. It covers governance and management of fisheries, providing support for further integration in the Blue Economy sector... building resilience, harmonization of safety at sea programs, insurance products for fishers, making available information and guidance to support fisheries research, and joint research initiatives, economic development for fisherfolk and communities... focusing on empowerment of youth and women in the fisheries value chain, agriculture and fisheries linkages, trade markets and business development.”

On September 9, 2025, the CRFM also signed an MoU with the University of the West Indies. On that occasion, Dr. Williams signed for the CRFM, while Professor Carl Justin Robinson, Campus Principal of the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus, based in Antigua and Barbuda, signed on behalf of UWI.

The CRFM (inaugurated in 2003) and the OECS (established in 1981) strengthen their collaboration with signing of a new MoU.

(Photo: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources, Saint Kitts and Nevis)

Dr. Williams commented that the 5-year MoU between the CRFM and UWI, which will be executed through the UWI Five Island Campus in Antigua and Barbuda, will foster the establishment of a mutually beneficial relationship for educational and academic collaboration in the areas of mutual interest. These include the blue economy development, marine spatial planning, climate change adaptation, ecosystems resilience, and resource mobilization.

He noted that the Centre of Excellence for Oceanography and the Blue Economy (COBE)—a collaboration between the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, the University of the West Indies, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and the Association of Commonwealth Universities—will support the CRFM in its efforts to advance blue economy development in the Caribbean, in collaboration with regional and global partners.

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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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Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, 29 September 2025 (CRFM)—The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) is convening three hybrid events spotlighting the fisheries and aquaculture sector, this week during the 19th Caribbean Week of Agriculture. The annual event, held under the auspices of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, opened at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort on Monday, 29 September 2025.

Hon. Samal Duggins, host Minister for CWA 2025 and the upcoming 16^th Special Meeting of the CRFM Ministerial Council, addressing the audience at the opening of CWA 2025 in Saint Kitts and Nevis

Host Minister for the weeklong event, Honourable Samal Duggins, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Marine Resources, said in his remarks: “Our region has not always given agriculture the priority it deserves. Too often, it has been seen as a sector of last resort, rather than being recognized as a pillar of sovereignty and a pillar of growth. For too long, our farmers and our fishers—the true heroes of food security—have carried the heaviest of these burdens with too little recognition and too little support.”

He added that, “This week must be remembered as the moment when we moved from words to deeds, the moment we moved from intentions into deliberate actions… Let us leave with commitments rooted in the soil, reflected in our oceans, and lived in the homes of our people.”

On Tuesday, September 30, 2025, Minister Duggins will host the 16th Special Meeting of the CRFM Ministerial Council, which will be chaired by Honourable Kyle Hodge, Anguilla’s Minister of Economic Development, Industry, Commerce, Lands, Planning, Water, and Natural Resources.

Chair of the CRFM Ministerial Council, Honourable Kyle Hodge of Anguilla (right), with Undersecretary in the Ministry of Agriculture & Marine Resources, The Bahamas, Mr. Montez Williams

The agenda of the CRFM Ministerial Council focuses on items such as the status and trends in fisheries and aquaculture production, trade, and employment; initiatives to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; a new grievance redress mechanism for the CRFM; a regional training and capacity needs assessment being undertaken by the CRFM with support from GRÓ-Fisheries Training Programme (FTP), under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as well as south-south cooperation with China.

The Ministers will also receive updates and provide policy guidance on regional initiatives to address climate resilience and blue economic growth. These include the Global Affairs Canada-funded Sustainable Technologies for Adaptation and Resilience in Fisheries (STAR-Fish) Project; the GEF/CAF/FAO/CRFM BE-CLME+ Project: Promoting National Blue Economy Priorities through Marine Spatial Planning in the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem Plus (BE-CLME+); and the New Zealand Bioeconomy Science Institute: Plant and Food Research Group/CRFM Sargassum Products for Climate Resilience in the Caribbean Project.

Also on Tuesday, September 30, starting at 1:00 p.m. in the Saint Kitts (Plenary) Room at the Marriott, the Ministers will be invited to join stakeholders and partners, in person and online, at the final event being implemented under the Sargassum Products for Climate Resilience in the Caribbean Project: the Sargassum Seminar titled, From Sargassum to Biostimulant: Sowing Change and Harvesting Resilience.

Then on Wednesday, October 1, starting at 1:30 p.m. in the Dominica Room, the CRFM will partner with the Department of Marine Resources and the National Fisherfolk Organization of Saint Kitts and Nevis to convene the Caribbean Small-scale Fisheries & Aquaculture Forum.

Both technical events—the seminar and forum—will be held in hybrid format, and interested persons can either attend in person or online. Registration is still open via the CRFM’s website (crfm.int).

Finally, the CRFM, through the Canada-funded STAR-Fish project, will mount a renewable energy exhibit at the 30th Agri Open Day & Marine Expo to be held at the Royal Basseterre Valley National Park, Kim Collins Highway, on Thursday, October 2 and Friday, October 2, 2025.

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(Photos and video footage courtesy Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources, Saint Kitts and Nevis)

The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) is planning to convene two technical events during the 19^th Caribbean Week of Agriculture, slated to be held at the Marriott Hotel in Saint Kitts and Nevis from 29 September to 3 October 2025. The theme for this year’s event is ‘Sowing Change, Harvesting Resilience: Transforming Our Caribbean Food Systems for 2025 and Beyond.’

The CRFM is inviting all stakeholders and partners to join us at the two open public events, focused on Strengthening Fisheries and Aquaculture through Partnerships.

Attendees of the Fifteenth CRFM Ministerial Council Meeting held during CWA 2024 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

The Sixteenth Special Meeting of the CRFM Ministerial Council will kick off the CRFM events, starting at 9:00 a.m. Atlantic Standard Time (AST) on Tuesday, 30 September 2025. In this closed session, Ministers will consider new policies and protocols for addressing climate change and disaster risk, including access to finance and insurance for CRFM Member States and stakeholders in the Fisheries and Aquaculture (including mariculture) sector.

Later that day, starting at 1:00 p.m. AST, the CRFM and Plant and Food Research (PFR) of New Zealand will co-host the Sargassum Seminar: From Sargassum to Biostimulant: Sowing Change and Harvesting Resilience. This will be a free hybrid event, allowing for both in-person and online attendance.

Key seminar topics include:

✔ The Sargassum Challenge & Opportunity in the Caribbean

✔ Liquid Biostimulants - Agribusiness Applications

   - Potential markets and users in the Caribbean

   - Issues affecting agriculture in the Caribbean

   - Benefits of Sargassum

✔ Developing a Safe, Circular Sargassum-Based Biostimulant

     - Development process of the Sargassum extract

     - Training of fisherfolk to obtain samples

     - Dangers of using unprocessed Sargassum

✔ Capacity Building for Fishers for Harvesting Sargassum & Value Chain Integration

     - Presentation of Sargassum Harvest Collection Manual

With the conclusion of the New Zealand-funded Sargassum Products for Climate Resilience Project slated for 30 September 2025, this seminar will mark an important milestone on our journey to addressing both the Sargassum challenge and climate change!

The Caribbean Small-scale Fisheries & Aquaculture Forum will be hosted jointly on Wednesday, 1 October 2025, by the CRFM and the Department of Marine Resources (Saint Kitts and Nevis), National Fisherfolk Organisation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Organisations (CNFO).

The event is slated to start at 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. AST, also at the Marriott Hotel in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Arrangements are also being made to allow online participation for those who will not be able to attend in-person. 

 This Forum will provide a space for engagement and networking!

Key forum topics include:

✔ Conservation Measures for Sustainable Fisheries Development

✔ Initiatives in Caribbean Aquaculture

✔ Harnessing Fisheries Value Chain Opportunities for Fishers & Processors

✔ Women in Fisheries and Aquaculture: Initiatives and Opportunities

✔ Additional Income Opportunities for Fishers through the Sargassum Value Chain

✔ Addressing Impacts of Tourism on Fisheries for a Sustainable Blue Economy

This is an opportunity to join in taking critical actions needed to forge a more resolute direction on the way forward.

CWA is the premier event on the regional agricultural calendar. It is a roving event hosted by CARICOM Member States and Associate Members and includes seminars, key meetings, a special meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), and an exhibition.

It was conceptualised by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) as a facility to place agriculture and rural life on the front burner of regional integration activities.

Bookmark our CWA 2025 event site to stay current with updates and future information releases, including recordings, presentations and other resources from the event. Click here.

BELIZE CITY, BELIZE, 31 July 2025–Illicit eel trafficking has been found to be tied to people involved in drugs and arms trafficking. Traffickers are reaping the benefits of the trade at the expense of our fishers. It is said to be an indication that authorities at every level need to do more to recognize crimes that are perhaps not as visible but just as pernicious.

Although eels are not among the mix of popular options for Caribbean cuisine, they are an expensive and highly sought-after delicacy in Asia and other parts of the world where Asian food is marketed. Eel trafficking is a high-value operation–with the value of the traded commodity rivaling cocaine–and it is being perpetrated by networks spanning countries, continents, and oceans.

The species targeted from this region is the American or Caribbean Eel (Anguilla rostrata). 

Photo © Joe Girgente, some rights reserved - Source: iNaturalist

In the Caribbean, CARICOM IMPACS and Auxilium Worldwide are continuing to work to get more insights into this matter and are working to support the region in confronting the challenges arising from illicit eel trade.

The American Eel’s geographic range spans several CRFM Member States, including Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands; in addition to other parts of the Americas. 

Geographic range of Anguilla rostrata | Map source: IUCN

Baby eels–or elvers–are harvested in varying locations destined for Asia, where they are raised at farms to adulthood to meet market demand. However, since these eels do not reproduce in captivity, fresh supplies are sought from the wild, threatening eel stocks, specifically, and marine biodiversity, generally.

An article originally published by El Espectador and republished by Earth Journalism indicates that glass eels fished in the Caribbean are worth about US$4,400 per kilogram, but the value triples to $12,000 per kilogram by the time they reach their final destination in Asia, via major trading routes. The reported value has reached as high as US$35,000 per kilo–comparable to the price of cocaine. 

Illicit eel trafficking has been detected in multiple Caribbean jurisdictions. However, beyond concerns over illicit seafood trafficking and food fraud is its association with other types of nefarious activities, including drug trafficking and money laundering. This makes it imperative for Caribbean countries to step up surveillance and action.

According to information published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the population of mature American eels is said to be on continuing decline. The various life stages, ranging from glass eel to adult, of all Anguilla species are harvested and traded on a global scale for consumption, with current demand predominantly driven by East Asian markets, in particular Japan and mainland China.

Although the American eel is plundered in this region, as well as Canada and the United States, a related species, Anguilla anguilla, also known as the European Eel, is also heavily exploited to critical endangerment levels. It has thus been listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 2009.

According to an IUCN European Eel assessment, a concerning pattern of exploitation is already apparent–when one Anguilla species or population becomes overexploited, industry moves to the next in order to fulfil demand.

Indications are that a proposal to list all eel species in Appendix II of CITES is being studied by the countries of the European Union and this could be presented at the 20th Conference of the Parties to CITES, to be held from 24 November to 5 December 2025 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Our sources indicate that EUROPOL is working on this, as well, and would be happy if you share information with them, but it is a one way street and they will not be able to share any information with you.