I am delighted to have the privilege of welcoming you to this Multi-disciplinary Workshop to review, refine and finalize the draft Agreement establishing the Common Fisheries Policy for the CARICOM countries that was mandated by the CARICOM Heads of Government. I want to extend a warm welcome to all of you here this morning, especially to those from the other CARICOM States and the Consultants from the United Kingdom and Brussels.

The specific objective of this workshop is to finalize the draft CFP. However, our broader objective is to enhance the contribution of fisheries to the social and economic development of the countries, to achieve better quality of life and standards of living for our fisherfolks and coastal communities that rely on fisheries for their livelihoods. This can only be achieved through effective management and conservation of the fisheries resource systems of the region. I want to say a few words about the challenges of fisheries management.

Fisheries management and conservation is a very complex subject involving a combination of biology, ecology, statistics, economics, law, politics and international relations among others. The core of fisheries management is, however, to a great degree, about regulating the impact of human harvesting activities on fish stocks with the aim of ensuring that the stocks in question are maintained at levels that will permit sustained harvesting for the long term. Responsible fishing should not permit fishermen to harvest, on average, more of the resource than can be replaced by net growth in the stock. Limits must, therefore, be placed on fishing to ensure that it does not degrade the natural productivity of the stocks or of the surrounding ecosystem.

Indeed, in recent times increasing attention has been given to the impact of fishing on non-target species and the functioning of the wider ecosystems. That is commonly referred to as “ecosystem-based management approach to fisheries.” This approach recognizes that fishing and other activities take place within complex communities of organisms and habitats, and that fishing is one of the many human activities that impact on these marine environments. The main goal of ecosystem approach to fisheries is to ensure the sustainability of catches without compromising the inherent structure and functioning of the marine ecosystem.

There are a number of unique challenges in managing marine fisheries and in applying the ecosystem approach to fisheries. Firstly, it is usually necessary to have considerable knowledge about the stocks and the associated marine ecosystems. Very often this knowledge is inadequate or incomplete. In such situations, States and regional fisheries management organizations are required by international law to apply the precautionary approach. The precautionary approach requires that fisheries management measures be more cautious when information is uncertain, unreliable or inadequate; and furthermore, the absence of adequate scientific information should not be used as a reason for postponing or failing to take management and conservation measures.

Another major problem for fisheries management is the fact that many fish stocks are transboundary, straddling or highly migratory in nature and go beyond the national jurisdictional boundaries established by man. The management of such stocks is possible only if the states sharing the resources cooperate in the development and implement of management and conservation measures. Most commercially important fish stocks in the Caribbean fall within these categories. At the global level there are today more than 40 regional fisheries bodies established to facilitate cooperation in the management, conservation and sustainable use of such resources. These organizations all coordinate and implement regional harmonized policy instrument to manage shared, straddling or highly migratory stocks.

A third major factor complicating fisheries management is the fact that fish are not usually legally owned by anyone until after they are caught, when they become the property of the fisherman that caught them. Thus, fisheries are often described as open-access, common property resources or more recently as “common pool” resources by some economists recognizing that they are not property until they are caught. The problem arises because anyone with the necessary equipment can engage in fishing, which can easily lead to over-capitalization. One of the major problems for fisheries at the global level is the fact that there is massive fleet over-capacity.

Another major problem facing fisheries management is the fact that fishing takes place over vast areas of sea and ocean space. It is therefore often very costly and difficult to monitor and enforce the management and conservation measures that are required to ensure sustainability of the fisheries and protect the ecosystems. For this reason IUU fishing is another major challenge globally and in the region.

These are only a few of the many management challenges that CARICOM States must deal with in order to ensure optimum sustainable long term benefits from fisheries resources within the region. It is hoped that the Common Fisheries Policy will put us in a stronger position to respond to these challenges and ensure a brighter future for our fisherfolk and coastal communities.

I would now like to invite Mr Hugh Saul to bring you greetings on behalf of the CRFM.

Contact:  piu@caricom.org