This brochure is intended to provide guidance and proposed next steps for the development of a Sustainable Fisheries Fund (SFF) for the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC). The WECAFC member countries and FAO are currently working on the establishment of a regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) in the Western Central Atlantic region, and this document focuses on a potential funding concept, which would act as an intermediary for deploying capital to support the transition to sustainable fisheries in the region. It provides a short overview of the SFF and the next steps in the development process of the SFF concept for consideration by relevant governments and investors.

This report outlines the findings from efforts to develop a business case for the sportfishing and commercial fish aggregating device (FAD) fisheries in the Dominican Republic (DR) that would ultimately benefit the declining billfish stocks in the region.  It was developed as part of the GEF-funded, World Bank-implemented Ocean Partnerships for sustainable fisheries and biodiversity conservation (OPP), a sub-project of the Common Oceans ABNJ Program led by UN-FAO.

This business case evaluates two strategies from a financial perspective, while providing links to environmental outcomes related to reducing billfish mortality. It also summarizes the anticipated social implications of increased YFT values and reduced billfish landings based on interviews carried out in country. These changes are linked to improvements in operational efficiency and increased market value to compensate fishers and other value-chain actors for the additional costs of implementing and/or complying with the conservation measures and enforcement mechanisms. Finally, the business case includes a summary of the relevant anticipated risks associated with the proposed investments. It was developed as part of the GEF-funded, World Bank-implemented Ocean Partnerships for sustainable fisheries and biodiversity conservation (OPP), a sub-project of the Common Oceans ABNJ Program led by UN-FAO.