Barbados

INFORMATION ON FISHERIES MANAGEMENT IN BARBADOS

October 1999

LOCATION AND MAIN LANDING PLACES

Barbados is the easternmost of the Caribbean islands, being entirely surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean at latitude 13°10' North and longitude 59°35' West. No marine boundaries have been negotiated, but the potential extended marine jurisdiction has been estimated at around 48 800 km2 of ocean. The surrounding oceanic surface waters are relatively low in nutrients, thermally stable and of low productivity. Surface currents off Barbados are complex, but generally directed towards the northwest, sometimes bringing lenses of lower salinity water containing debris from the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers of South America. These features often attract pelagic fish.

The map (Figure 1) shows the major fish landing sites, and Table 1 gives the number of fishing boats listing the site as home port, and the total quantity of fish landed annually at each site. Note, however, that both of these statistics are highly variable over time. Minor landing sites are not shown, either on the map or in the table.

(please click to enlarge image)

Figure 1. Locations of major fish landing sites

Table 1. Distribution of boats and landings by site (1996)
Location	Number of boats	Fish landings (tonne)
Bridgetown Oistins Conset Bay Skeete's Bay Tent Bay Paynes Bay Pile Bay Weston Speightstown Half Moon Fort Six Men's Bay	232 130 37 18 17 27 21 29 30 35 37	2206 413 81 53 27 5 26 30 30 30 34
Source: Fisheries Division

MANAGEMENT OF THE MARINE FISHERIES RESOURCES

Overall strategy

The 1993 Fisheries Act (section 3(3)) states:

"The objective of fisheries management and development shall be to ensure the optimum utilization of the fisheries resources in the waters of Barbados for the benefit of the people of Barbados."

This is reproduced as the Mission Statement of the Barbados 1997-2000 Fisheries Management Plan. In addition, the Barbados national development plan for 1993-2000 states that the "further development of the fishing industry remains a key objective of national development policy". During the plan period it states that the following objectives will be pursued:

Improving the quality of life of all persons involved in the fishing industry;

Upgrading facilities at major landing sites throughout the island;

Improving efficiency in the industry;

Increasing the output of high quality fish to a sustainable level;

Increasing exports of fish;

Promoting enhanced protection of the marine environment.

The means for achieving these objectives set out in the plan include:

educating and training - in several areas - people in the fishing industry;

strengthening fisheries legislation for management and development;

improving physical infrastructure at fish landing sites;

intensifying technical assistance to increase fish catches;

improving facilities and equipment for the Fisheries Division;

educating consumers to increase consumption of chilled fish;

promoting fishing industry associations and cooperatives; and

implementing fisheries resource assessment and management plans.

The industry has remained focused on local, small-scale enterprises, with government encouraging co-management through the promotion and support of fishing industry organizations, particularly in the harvest sector.

MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES FOR MAJOR FISHERIES

The overall Fisheries Management Plan contains eight fishery-specific management plans for the resources described in Table 2, each with its own management objective.

Table 2. Overview of fisheries to be managed and their objectives
Fishery	Resource Status	Management objective
Shallow-shelf reef fishes, e.g. parrotfish, surgeonfish	Many south and west coast areas are considered overfished. Status of east coast resources is unknown.	Rebuild fish populations to levels capable of satisfying the requirements of both commercial fishery and recreational or tourism non-harvest uses, in order to obtain the optimum social and economic benefits from the resource.
Deep slope fishes, e.g. snappers, groupers	Unknown, but preliminary studies suggest that some areas may have potential for increased harvest.	Seek to obtain a sustainable and optimum yield for local consumption through a precautionary approach to further development.
Coastal pelagics, e.g. herrings, jacks, small tunas	Unknown.	Optimize catches of the target species, particularly to meet the demand for input into other fisheries as bait, while minimizing by-catches of reef species.
Large pelagics, e.g. dolphin, tunas, kingfish, swordfish, shark	Dolphin unknown. ICCAT assessment indicates some other species may be fully or over exploited.	Maximize, within regional or international guidelines for conservation, the catches taken by national and regional fishermen through ensuring that there is a fair and equitable distribution of the resource among the users.
Flyingfish	Unknown. Preliminary evidence suggests potential for cautious expansion.	Establish a catch and effort regime that facilitates resource sustainability over the long term, with an acceptably low risk of economic or social disruption due to catch variability, in order to derive the optimal economic and social returns from the fishery.
Sea urchins, i.e. sea egg	Overfished.	Rebuild populations and establish a co-management arrangement with fishers to maintain populations at levels that can sustain long-term optimum yields for social and economic purposes.
Turtles, e.g. loggerhead, hawksbill, leatherback	Considered by international standards to be threatened.	To promote the protection, conservation and recovery of sea turtle populations.
Lobsters, e.g. spiny, spotted	Unknown. Populations appear to be small.	To promote the sustainable harvest of lobster for domestic use and the local tourism market in order to achieve the maximum economic return from the resource over the long run.
Source: 1997-2000 Fisheries Management Plan

MANAGEMENT MEASURES AND INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR MAJOR FISHERIES

The measures recommended for achieving the management objectives in the Fisheries Management Plan are presented in Table 3. Few of the management measures were in place before 1998, and there has been no formal evaluation of their performance.

Table 3. Fishery-specific management measure
Fishery	Gear Type	Marine Area	Management measures
Shallow-shelf reef fishes, e.g. parrotfish, surgeonfish, grunts	Fish traps, set nets, spear guns	Coastal coral reefs	– Minimum trap mesh size – Escape panels in traps – Traps carry identification – Explosives and noxious substances not permitted – Trammel nets prohibited – Marine protected areas – Closed areas and seasons
Deep slope fishes, e.g. snappers, groupers	Fish traps, handline	Deep slope bank reefs and shelf area	– Minimum trap mesh size – Escape panels in traps – Traps carry identification – Marine protected areas – Closed areas and seasons
Coastal pelagics, e.g. herrings, jacks, small tunas	Handline, troll lines, cast net, seine net	Coastal	Minimum mesh size for seine nets – Closed areas and seasons – Habitat protection – Prohibit seining and cast-netting near reefs – Marine protected areas
Large pelagics, e.g. dolphin, tunas, kingfish, swordfish, shark	Handline, troll lines, longline	Oceanic	– Observe international management measures – Promote establishment of a regional fisheries management organization – Cooperate and collaborate with international stock assessments
Flyingfish	Gillnet, handline, dip net	Coastal, oceanic	– Marine protected areas – Cooperate and collaborate with regional stock assessments – Promote co-management – Investigate option of vessel licensing to reduce entry.
Sea urchins, i.e. sea egg	Manual by hand or rake	Coastal	– Harvesting moratorium to rebuild stocks – Co-management – Closed areas and seasons – Other input and output controls
Turtles, e.g. loggerhead, hawksbill, leatherback	Entangling nets	Coastal, oceanic	Indefinite prohibition of harvesting and selling eggs and animals
Lobsters; e.g. spiny, spotted	Fish traps, hand spears	Coastal	– Prohibit harvest of berried lobsters or removal of eggs – Marine protected areas – Closed areas and seasons
Source: 1997-2000 Fisheries Management Plan

Regarding institutional arrangements, the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is responsible for fisheries management and development under the Fisheries Act. A Fisheries Advisory Committee (FAC) has also been established under the Act. Through the fishing industry representatives on the FAC, the industry has direct input into decision-making. The fisheries management planning process, with annual plan reviews, also encourages stakeholder participation and information exchange.

Enforcement of management measures is a collaborative effort involving the Coast Guard and Police as necessary. Other government agencies, such as the Markets Division and Projects Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Coastal Zone Management Unit and the Environment Division, also have roles to play in fisheries management and development.

Aquaculture management

Aquaculture is also the responsibility of the Fisheries Division, but there is little commercial aquaculture in Barbados. The Division monitors small mariculture operations for seaweed and finfish, but the government has no plans for developing aquaculture except through facilitating private sector investment in research and development.

INVESTMENTS IN FISHERIES

Commercial bank credit to the fisheries sector was US$ 1.7 million in 1998, declining slightly from the previous year. Most of this was for the construction and maintenance of fishing vessels, with some for the few processing plants. Without a government-operated major development financing institution available over the last few years, investment in the fishing industry has apparently declined.

Public sector investment in physical infrastructure (fish markets, jetties, harbours, ice and refrigeration plants) exceeded US$ 12 million in the last decade, and is projected to reach a similar level in the coming decade. The contribution of fisheries to GDP in 1998 was about US$ 12 million, equal to 15% of the agriculture contribution and 0.6% of the national total.

PROJECTED DEMAND AND SUPPLY

Most of the fish landed are consumed locally by Barbadians and visitors. Besides the demand from tourism for types of seafood that the local fleet does not supply, Barbados also imports fish to top up supplies for general consumption. Fish provides 20% of animal protein supply. Only small sustained increases in overall demand can be expected from the low local population growth rate (0.4%), or variable visitor arrivals (8.5% increase in 1998). The greatest changes in demand are likely to come from consumer preferences for healthier foods and convenience products. This growth in demand has not yet been quantified.

Local fish is seldom processed beyond being frozen and filleted or steaked, and competes with both imported value-added convenience seafood and lower-priced imported frozen fish.

Fish processors will be able to cope with some of the demand if the harvest sector can ensure a consistent supply of high quality raw material at a reasonable price. The alternative is for the trade sector to increase levels of importation to supply the demand. Over the past several years there has been no overall trend in fish landings which have usually fluctuated between 3 000 and 5 000 tonne. Unless there is access to additional fish allocations, this supply is not expected to change much over time.

MAIN FISHERIES REGULATIONS

The current Barbados fisheries legislation consists of the Fisheries Act, proclaimed in 1993, and the Fisheries (Management) Regulations, 1998. The Act includes the requirement to formulate fisheries management plans and keep them under review.The regulations give effect to most of the management measures described in Table 3. There are no regulations governing foreign fishing or the management of shared stocks, since no arrangements are in place to permit either.

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE NATIONAL FISHERIES AUTHORITY

The Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is responsible for fisheries management and development. Its functional organizational structure is shown below.

LINKS

Organization	E-mail address
Bellairs Research Institute UWI marine science programme Fisheries Division Coastal Zone Management Unit	Bellairs@sunbeach.net MAREMP@sunbeach.net Fishbarbados@caribsurf.com Coastal@caribsurf.com