Oceans Governance and Fisheries

In response to the outcomes of the East Caribbean Regional Oceanscape Policy (ECROP), the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) with the World Bank have prepared the Caribbean Regional Oceanscape Project (CROP) that responds to such demand for spatial planning initiatives, through the adoption of coastal and marine spatial plans to coordinate management across sectors and resources and integrate environmental management directly with economic development.

These plans will build upon early national marine planning efforts1 and will help Eastern Caribbean countries better understand and then reform governance of the diversity of ocean uses and economic activities, resulting in a more secure framework for sustained investment in the blue economy.

To promote a common approach to ocean governance (i.e.: pursue a blue economy), the OECS has taken a first step through the adoption of the Eastern Caribbean Regional Ocean Policy (ECROP) and its Strategic Action Plan. Endorsed by the OECS’ Heads of Government in 2013, ECROP guides the future use of the region’s marine waters and provides a basis for enhanced coordination and management of ocean resources within the Eastern Caribbean. The OECS Commission operates within the regional mandate of ECROP which encourages the collaborative formulation of well-integrated governance frameworks capable of addressing marine user conflicts and protect the fragile legacy of their marine environment. With few spatial planning initiatives of smaller scale adopted so far, ECROP calls for multiple-use ocean planning and integrated management techniques for better decision-making over transboundary marine systems.

This report is a reflection of our collaborative efforts to further enhance the science policy interface at the OECS and wider regional level. I commend all those who have made the production of this report possible for their worthy contribution to the body of knowledge on the coastal and marine environment of the Caribbean region. It is my hope that this report will inspire our island nations to realise our ambitions, turning our dreams of sustainable and resilient growth for our communities into reality.

This report is a feasibility assessment for Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) for the OECS Member States of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Grenada. It forms part of a preliminary assessment for the Caribbean Regional Oceanscape Project (CROP) that will be jointly
implemented by the World Bank and the OECS Commission. The information presented will be used to
develop a roadmap for the implementation of Component 1 of the CROP.

This paper is one of two background case studies prepared in support of a training workshop held in St. Lucia in June 2001. The workshop was attended by OECS focal points and others in the nine countries. The two case studies are: I. Valuation of Sand and Beach Resources in Grenada II. The implementation of a deposit/refund system in Dominica.

The Buccament Valley is located in St. Vincent about 5 miles from the capital Kingstown. It is approximately 4,000 acres in area and stretches from Buccament Bay to Vermont in the interior. An inventory of the fauna and flora of the Buccament Valley was conducted from March 20th-29th 1997 to establish the types offauna, flora and aquatic life in the valley. The results of the study indicated that the Buccament Valley has a high species richness especially floral diversity. Over 250 species of plants were identified in the study. Thirty seven species of birds were found, six mammal species (excluding bats), eight species of reptile, three amphibian species, 9 crustacean species, 5 species offish and several dozen insects species. The valley is truly a haven for wildlife, particularly the forested hills of Vermont. The St. Vincent Parrot (Amazona guildingi) can easily be seen as it forages through the forest canopy.

n the Caribbean there was minimal research on women and thus even less on women in the fisheries sector. However, donor agencies are becoming aware of the value of women in fisheries and are undertaking studies to enable them to target funding in the areas where women are are contributing. The study has shown that in Antigua, many women are household heads. Also, they have more children and more dependants than men. Due to local taboos, few women. are involved in harvesting fish. Their energy is directed towards marketing, fish scaling and processing. There are are few women in administrative or technical positions in the fishing industry. In. all of the fishery activities, the income level of women is lowest and the activity which generates the least income is that in which mainly women are engaged. Women. have a minimal amount of capital investment in the fishing industry, and credit is not made easily available to them from commercial banks. Due to lack of knowledge of other credit institutions, they make successful use of informal means of credit.

Information for Sustainable Development; The OECS Approach

Fisheries play an important and sometimes underrated part in the economies of OECS Member States, providing both full-time, part-time and seasonal employment, contributing sig11ificantly botl1 to domestic food security and national GDP (table 1). Current methods of evaluating the contribution of fisheries to the economies of OECS Member States may overlook any incremental economic benefit of tl1e export market, as well as support services to the industry. In fact, it may even be argued tl1at in addition to the value added as a consequence ofexport markets, expenditure on tl1e sector such as investment in infrastructure, marketing, subsidies, and the like, could be seen as contributing to the overall value of the industry. From another point of view, employment in the fisheries sector must be considered to extend to, and include, persons otl1er tl1an those who catch the fish

This study has found that there are substantial impediments to OECS countries developing their fishing industries particularly in relation to the export of fishery products. The study has taken a medium to long-term perspective, as structural change will inevitably be brought about by external market forces such as: The fact that OECS countries have virtually no control over the priceoffish in world markets. Exporters in OECS countries for species such as tuna are "price takers" in world markets; The likelihood that the WTO rules will overtime lead to increased competition from nearby countries that have economy of scale advantages over OECS countries;

This discussion document outlines options for a new Eastern Caribbean Regional Ocean Policy that will promote and guide the future sustainable use and development of the region's marine waters and resources. The document rovides an outline of the key threats and challenges faced by policy makers and managers; the basis for such a national policy; a future Vision for the ocean; and a suggested set of principles, and goals for ocean governance in the Eastern Caribbean Region. The document also highlights a number of options for institutional reform towards implementing the regional policy. A preliminary draft policy document is appended to the report (Appendix 1)

A brieftheoretical background is given of the long and short term changes in beaches and the causes of these changes. A brief treatment of wave and tidal regimes is included as they relate to beaches in the Eastern Caribbean islands. The future impacts of sea level rise are outlined. The uses of beaches are listed together with the
reasons why it is necessary to measure them accurately. The relevance of beach measurements to the planning process and coastal zone management is also discussed. It is suggested that beach erosion is likely to increase in the Mure as a response to increased natural and man-made stresses. Different measurement techniques
are described, these include aerial photograph comparison, map comparison, beach surveying and the use of visual indicators, the use and application of each method is discussed. Finally the steps involved in setting up coastal monitoring programmes are outlined.

The fisheries sector of the Eastern Caribbean has been historically perceived as having relatively minor importance. There is, however, increasing recognition of its potential significance to such problems as balance of payments, unemployment, stimulation of local economies, and nutrition. Due to a variety of limitations, the scale of development that is possible in Eastern Caribbean fisheries is modest in global terms yet significant on the
small island scale. The issue of scale and applicability to local circumstances is critical to effective development of the fisheries sector in the RDO/C region.

This report evaluates the performance of a Unesco COMAR regional project : COSALC 1, which is entitled "Beach and Coastal Stability in the Lesser Antille~'. The project has consisted to date of four phases: evaluation report (1985), in-country workshops (1985), preparation of audio visual aids (1986), and the setting up of beach monitoring programmes in the Lesser Antilles (1987-1992 and still ongoing).

This s"tudy addresses the coastal resource management problems associated with sand mining and coral harvesting in tropical areas. Customary sand and coral extraction techniques, large and small scale use practices, impacts on local environments, and alternative harvesting approaches to various marine minerals are reviewe~. Specific examples of adverse effects on the environment from excessive, badly sited, ill-planned or un-monitored coral harvesting and beach, dune, and marine sand mining activities are presented and analyzed. These examples are
·based on existing documentation and, in some instances, were corroborated by site visits to areas where large scale, hydraulic dredging strategies for marine sand had been employed or land-based beach or dune sand mining were common practice.

This study demonstrates the need for more comprehensive approaches to the management of coastal fish stocks. Caribbean fisheries for spiny lobster and conch, two highly-valued species occurring throughout the
region and known to be under intense exploitive pressure, were selected for analysis. The approach taken documents (1) the history of the two fisheries leading up to present exploitation patterns, both locally and
regionally; (2) the importance of conch and lobster resources to local economies; (3) the socio-economic effects resulting.from their apparent over-exploitation; and (4) the major constraints on their effective management.

Recognizing the need to preserve and protect existing ocean wealth, and to promote future ocean potential, in 2013 the OECS adopted the Eastern Caribbean Regional Ocean Policy (ECROP) with a vision of securing a:

Healthy and richly biodiverse Eastern Caribbean marine environment, sustainably managed in an integrated way to promote socio economic development and support the livelihoods and aspirations of current and future generations

The development and integration of common marine data standards is one of the critical steps towards making marine data more accessible, more efficient and more useful and is a key component of the OECS Marine Research Strategy and the fulfilment of the objectives and vision of the Eastern Caribbean Regional Ocean Policy (ECROP).