Fisheries
Ministers of CARICOM and Central America join forces to promote
ocean-based economic growth and combat IUU fishing in the Caribbean

BELIZE CITY, FRIDAY, 4
OCTOBER 2019 (CRFM)—After several hours of deliberation at their
Second Joint Meeting held in Belize on Wednesday, 2 October 2019,
Fisheries Ministers from Member States of the Caribbean Regional
Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) and the Organization for Fisheries and
Aquaculture of the Central American Isthmus (OSPESCA) inked a
milestone instrument. The “Declaration
on CRFM-OSPESCA Cooperation for Sustainable Development of Fisheries
and Aquaculture Resources” signals their resolve to
solidify the cooperation birthed at their first joint meeting held in
Belize 7 years earlier, in 2012.

Among the agreed areas of
cooperation are: monitoring and managing Sargassum blooms which have
been adversely affecting the region since 2011; the control of
invasive species, with emphasis on the Pacific lionfish; and the
development of small-scale fisheries to ensure the protection of
livelihoods and food security. The renewed alliance will also support
the implementation of fisheries management plans for shared stocks,
such as spiny lobster, queen conch and migratory pelagic species;
programmes on climate change adaptation and disaster risk management
in fisheries and aquaculture; as well as ocean-based fisheries and
aquaculture economic activities, including value chain development.

The CRFM and OSPESCA
countries have, furthermore, pledged to develop coordinated positions
on international processes, such as the listing of threatened and
endangered species under CITES; fisheries subsidies negotiations led
by the WTO; and the UN conference to develop a legally-binding
agreement on conservation, management and sustainable use of
biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

In signing the Joint
Declaration, the Fisheries Ministers also approved the
Second
Joint CRFM-OSPESCA Action Plan (2020 to 2025), which is a
5-year roadmap to guide collaborative programmes and activities
agreed in the declaration by the two sub-regional organisations.

Among the commitments
made is that, “The CRFM and OSPESCA Secretariats and Member States
will work together to strengthen cooperation to deter, prevent and
eliminate IUU [Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated] fishing in the
region.”

At the opening of the
meeting, Keynote Speaker, Hon. Dr. Omar Figueroa, Belize’s Minister
of State with responsibility for Fisheries, said: “IUU Fishing is
undoubtedly causing damage to our fish populations in our countries,
and we must continue to actively identify and implement tangible and
effective actions on a bilateral or sub-regional level to curb these
illicit activities.”

Prior to the meeting with
OSPESCA, the CRFM Ministerial Council held its 9th Special
Meeting, at which it approved the Regional Plan of Action on IUU
Fishing for the Western Central Atlantic region, with a commitment to
developing a CARICOM-specific Action Plan. The Jamaican delegation
pointed out to their counterparts that IUU fishing recently forced
them to impose a moratorium on their conch fishery, resulting in
multi-million-dollar losses for the country, its export sector and
fishers. Their hope is that the collaboration with OSPESCA will help
to effectively prevent and deter IUU fishing in Caribbean waters.

Milton Haughton,
Executive Director of the CRFM Secretariat, added that, “It is the
recognition that we share a common interest and a common destiny in
the sustainable use and protection of the Caribbean Sea and its
living marine resources and ecosystems that inspires and underpins
the partnership that is developing between the Caribbean and Central
American sub-regions in fisheries and aquaculture.”

Hon. Eugene Hamilton,
Chair of the CRFM Ministerial Council and Minister Responsible for
Fisheries in Saint Kitts and Nevis, said: “It is predicted that 90%
of the world’s fish protein will come from aquaculture by 2050.”
He, consequently, urged the countries, generally regarded as small
island developing states and coastal states, to work together to
develop aquaculture.

Norma Lobo, General
Director for the Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture,
represented the Minister of Agriculture of El Salvador, Pro-Tempore
Chairman of OSPESCA, at the meeting. In her brief remarks, she
indicated that this was the first such meeting in which she has
participated, and expressed her enthusiasm for learning more about
the challenges faced by the region and, furthermore, working together
to confront them.

Haughton expressed
optimism that, “This growing strategic partnership between our
countries, our fisheries institutions and our stakeholders in the
fisheries and aquaculture sectors, will yield tangible mutual benefit
from our collective experience, expertise and cooperation in
addressing the common challenges we face.”

The
UNDP-GEF Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems
(CLME+) Project provided financial support to facilitate the
convening of the meeting in Belize City, Belize. It has also been
providing support to the CRFM, OSPESCA, FAO/WECAFC, UN Environment
and other regional organisations to strengthen arrangements for
improved governance and management of the fisheries resources and
marine environment of the region.

IMAGES:

Photo 1 (left to right):   Beverly Wade, Master of Ceremonies, Fisheries Administrator, Belize; Hon. Eugene Hamilton, Chair of the CRFM Ministerial Council and Minister Responsible for Fisheries in Saint Kitts and Nevis; Hon. Dr. Omar Figueroa, Belize’s Minister of State with responsibility for Fisheries; Norma Lobo, General Director for the Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture, El Salvador, Pro-Tempore Chairman of OSPESCA; Reinaldo Morales Rodríguez, Director Regional de OSPESCA; and Milton Haughton, Executive Director of the CRFM Secretariat

Photo 2 (left to right): Minister Alvin DaBreo, MInister with responsibility for Forestry & Fisheries, Grenada (CRFM Member); and Carlos Francisco Marin Arriola, Director de Normatividad de la Pesca y la Acuicultura, Guatemala (OSPESCA Member), signing Joint Declaration

ABOUT THE
CRFM:

The
Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism
(CRFM) was officially inaugurated on 27 March 2003 in Belize City,
Belize, where it is headquartered, following the signing of the
“Agreement Establishing the CRFM” on February 4, 2002. It is an
inter-governmental organization whose mission 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.”

ABOUT
OSPESCA:

The
Organization for Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Central American
Isthmus (OSPESCA) is a regional fisheries body established in 1995,
integrated by the seven Central American countries, including Belize,
and also the Dominican Republic. OSPESCA’s main purpose is to
enhance sustainable development and management of fisheries and
aquaculture by coordinated regional action, thereby strengthening the
Central American integration process.