Caribbean Governments Move to Strengthen Protections for Fishers as Pressure Grows on Marine Space

Regional fisheries ministers are advancing new approaches to marine spatial planning, seafood traceability and illegal fishing as Caribbean fishers face growing competition for ocean space.

TRELAWNY, Jamaica — Caribbean governments are moving to strengthen protections for fishers and improve the management of increasingly contested marine spaces, with regional officials advancing new measures on seafood traceability, illegal fishing and marine spatial planning.

The push was highlighted during the 20th Caribbean Week of Agriculture in Trelawny, Jamaica, where fisheries ministers and regional officials discussed how Caribbean countries can better manage ocean resources while protecting the livelihoods of people who depend on them.

Pressure on Caribbean Marine Space

Jamaica’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green, said the growing number of demands being placed on Caribbean waters makes stronger management increasingly important.

“We do appreciate that our marine space is coming under extreme pressure for multiple uses, that we have to ensure that our fishers have the space to operate,” Green said during an October 2 press briefing at the Ocean Coral Spring Resort.

His comments followed a September 28 special meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), also held in Trelawny during Caribbean Week of Agriculture.

According to the CRFM, fisheries, aquaculture and blue-economy ministers approved 12 resolutions setting regional policy directions in areas including marine spatial planning, fisheries data and information, seafood traceability and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Tackling Illegal Fishing

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing remains part of the regional agenda. Green said Caribbean governments are committed to combating illegal fishing while tightening the framework used to manage the region’s marine space.

The CRFM said its ministers approved decisions concerning IUU fishing at the September meeting, placing the issue alongside marine spatial planning and traceability as priorities for the sector.

For fishers, those policies intersect with a broader question: how Caribbean governments allocate and manage ocean space as fisheries operate alongside other economic and environmental uses.

Tracking Seafood From Harvest to Consumer

Seafood traceability is another major part of the regional effort.

Green said traceability has become a global requirement and that Caribbean countries need stronger systems for tracking fish through the supply chain, helping to provide transparency and confidence to buyers.

Ahead of Caribbean Week of Agriculture, the CRFM said the region needs a harmonized traceability framework capable of maintaining traceability throughout the food supply chain from harvest to consumer for domestic and international markets.

A regional seminar held during CWA was designed to increase awareness of traceability, explain requirements imposed by importing countries and support capacity-building in fisheries, aquaculture and agriculture.

Closing Regional Skills Gaps

Implementation will also require stronger institutional capacity.

Green said a CRFM assessment identified skills gaps among member countries that need to be addressed so decisions taken at regional forums can be carried out.

The minister also pointed to labour shortages affecting Caribbean agriculture and said regional approaches could help address workforce challenges.

CRFM and Jamaica’s National Fisheries Authority also used Caribbean Week of Agriculture to recognize contributors to the sector, including what Green described as “heroes of the blue economy.”

From Regional Talks to Investment

Green said the broader objective is to improve support, productivity and access to dependable markets for farmers and fishers while strengthening food supplies for Caribbean consumers.

“We must ensure that officials, young entrepreneurs and our farmers can participate in the growth,” he said.

He also called for discussions at Caribbean Week of Agriculture to be converted into viable projects and investment opportunities spanning production, processing, storage and distribution.

For the fisheries sector, the policy direction emerging from Trelawny links protection of fishing livelihoods with stronger control over marine space, measures against illegal fishing and systems capable of tracing seafood through increasingly demanding regional and international markets.

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