The eighth session of the Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) of the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC) was held in Merida, Mexico, on 3–4 November 2017. The Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) hosted the session at the venue of its seventieth annual conference. The SAG discussed the outcomes of the work carried out by various joint working groups in 2016–2017 and their Recommendations to WECAFC 17. The SAG reviewed the status of the main fish stocks in Area 31 and discussed the impact of the increase in Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) fisheries on the current stock assessment methods used. The SAG further got updated on the functioning of the Interim Coordination Mechanism for Sustainable Fisheries, the WECAFC-FIRMS partnership and the activities of partner agencies in the region. A list of specific SAG Recommendations for the attention of WECAFC 17 is included in the preface of the report. The working documents used for the eight session of the SAG, including amongst others, a Review of the State of Fisheries in the WECAFC region, and a Desk Review of FADs fisheries development in the WECAFC region and the impact on stock assessments, are available here.

The First meeting of the WECAFC/OSPESCA/CRFM/CITES/CFMC working group on shark conservation and management was held in Barbados on 17-19 October 2017. The meeting brought together more than 30 shark fisheries experts, conservationists, marine biologists and fisheries officers from 15 WECAFC members, regional fisheries bodies, fisheries technical advisory institutions, non-governmental organizations, and other relevant stakeholders.

The 2nd meeting of the Regional Working Group on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, was held in Barbados in the period 19 - 21 September 2017. The Regional Working Group on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (RWG-IUU) is a joint working group of the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC), the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), and Organization for Fisheries and Aquaculture of Central America (OSPESCA).

The workshop brought together 38 representatives from 13 Caribbean countries and overseas territories' fisheries departments, regional fisheries bodies, fisheries technical advisory institutions, non-governmental organizations, various fishery statistics specialists and other relevant stakeholders. Participants' knowledge of regional fishery data challenges and their capacities to address these challenges effectively were developed over the course of the workshop.

Bilingual document: Report of the Third Regional Workshop on Caribbean Billfish Management and Conservation of the WECAFC/OSPESCA/CRFM/CFMC Working Group on Recreational Fisheries. Bridgetown, Bridgetown, Barbados. 4-6 April 2017 / Informe del 3er Taller Regional sobre el Ordenamiento y la Conservación de los Picudos del Caribe del Grupo de Trabajo COPACO/OSPESCA/CRFM/CFMC sobre la Pesca Recreativa, Bridgetown, Barbados. 4-6 abril 2017