Resource Mobilization

Enhancing Fishery Management in the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission Area

At the 14th and 15th sessions of the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC), the European Union (EU) member countries expressed an urgent need to improve fisheries data and information collection in the wider Caribbean region. The identified data gaps lessened the effectiveness of significant efforts made to improve fishery management, and constituted one of the major reasons preventing a change of WECAFC status towards a management organization. The project aimed to contribute to the availability of high quality information for fisheries management and development in the area, in support of improved and more informed decision-making and policy development for fisheries and marine resources.

What did the project do

Through effective interagency/interinstitutional and interproject collaboration on fisheries and related issues, the project increased the availability of essential information for fisheries management in the wider Caribbean region, in particular through a fisheries inventory focusing on the three prioritized regional fishery management plans (spiny lobster, flying fish, and queen conch). This contributed significantly to the realization of responsible development and management of the sector, and to the establishment of a sustainable fisheries sector. The prototype of a Regional Database was set up, providing WECAFC members with a potential tool for regional harmonization and the exchange of data and information on fisheries and marine resources. In addition, capacity was built for a regional data and statistics framework, to support fishery management among national fisheries statistics officers of 15 WECAFC member countries.

Impact

The project contributed to food security by promoting the sustainable use of fishery resources.

Activities

  • WECAFC-Fisheries Resources Monitoring System (FIRMS) inventories updated; a total of 20 fisheries were inventoried, and corresponding fact sheets were published in FIRMS for six countries.
  • FIRMS website translated into Spanish.
  • Regional data workshop held (attended by thirteen countries, two EU overseas territories, and four regional organizations) to review existing situation regarding current practices, issues and gaps in data collection, and processing and dissemination at national level.
  • Circular mission organized to review priority actions identified for three countries (Belize, Saint Lucia and Saint Kitts and Nevis), to draft project concept notes for strengthening national data collection systems.
  • WECAFC Regional Database prototype developed in the Data e-Infrastructure Initiative for Fisheries Management and Conservation of Marine Living Resources (iMarine).
  • Several documents drafted towards minimum data requirements, which should constitute the basis of a later consolidated WECAFC data collection framework document; as well as global WECAFC data access and sharing policies for the Regional Database.
Project symbol: GCP/SLC/007/EC
Project title: Strengthening national data collection and regional data sharing through FIRMS to support priority regional fishery management plans in the WECAFC area
Contact: FAO Subregional Office for the Caribbean / Marc Taconet (Lead Technical Officer)
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
Download PDF: http://www.fao.org/3/I9260EN/i9260en.pdf