1. The Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy
CARIBBEAN FISHERIES
Milton Haughton
Executive Director

2. Presentation Overview
CCCFP history
The policy
Wealth creation
Food and good nutrition security
Preserve the resource, protect livelihoods
What’s in CCCFP for fisherfolk?
Shared responsibility
CCCFP status

3. CCCFP History Policy Development
2003 Heads of Government mandate
Then, studies, reviews, missions abroad, regional workshops, national consultations
Working groups
Legal
Socio-economic
Multidisciplinary
CRFM Forum and Ministerial Council
Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) and Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR)
Legal Affairs Committee (LAC)

4. Common Fisheries Policy
Initiates closer cooperation, integration and consistency in fisheries policy among countries
Builds States’ capabilities to conduct research, collect and analyse data
Encourages new business opportunities; generating more trade, improved incomes and higher profits through diversification
Stronger commitment to conservation, protection and sustainable use of living resources to safeguard fisherfolk livelihoods
Uses key international principles of sustainable fisheries, particularly the precautionary and the ecosystem approaches

5. Common Fisheries Policy
Enhance development of fisheries and aquaculture to improve the welfare and socio-economic conditions of fishers and communities
Participatory approach, considering the rights and special needs of traditional, subsistence, artisanal and small-scale fishers
Good governance, accountability and transparency, including equitable allocation of rights, obligations, responsibilities and benefits
Subsidiarity, in particular that the Competent Agency will only perform those tasks which cannot be more effectively achieved by individual States.

6. CCCFP and Wealth Creation
Times are tough
Fishery sector is an area of Caribbean economies with room for economic growth through diversification, innovation and cooperation
Need to improve livelihoods and welfare of fishers
Need more fisheries-generated employment and income in our economies
Foreign exchange from the commercial fishing industry helps counteract the perennial regional trade deficit
Improved performance of the sector can help us rise above difficulty

7. CCCFP and Wealth Creation
CCCFP supports
Market research and market access gains
Marketing and sector trade development
Pursuit of under- or unexploited species
Increase in fish processing to add value, capture more profit, create more jobs in the region
More aquaculture business ventures

8. Food and Nutrition Security
Fisheries provide a healthy share of our good nutrition and food security; a safety net in difficult times
Small-scale fishers have a key role, creating jobs and supplying food across the region
Need a structured, balanced approach, avoiding stock depletion while assuring consistent supply to Caribbean markets

9. Food and Nutrition Security
CCCFP:
Harmonises sustainable fisheries management and post-harvest practices
Promotes competitive trade and stable market conditions
Improves quality assurance and seafood safety standards
Requires participating nations to establish protocols for sanitary and phytosanitary measures so that the seafood we consume is not only good for us, but is also of high quality.

10. Protect the resource Preserve livelihoods
CCCFP Vision
“...effective cooperation and collaboration in the conservation, management and sustainable utilisation and development of the fisheries and related ecosystems in the region to secure the maximum benefits for the peoples...”
Promote recognition of the Caribbean Sea as a Special Area of sustainable development, so that the level of fishing effort does not exceed the level of sustainable use.
Transform the sector: more market-oriented, internationally competitive and environmentally sustainable

11. Protect the resource Preserve livelihoods
The CCCFP aims to:
Prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing
Strengthen, upgrade, harmonise and modernise regional fisheries legislation, foster better cooperation, enforcement and information sharing
Integrate environmental, coastal and marine management consideration into fisheries policies
Protect and conserve fish stocks and related ecosystems from degradation due to pollution, climate change or natural disasters.

12. What’s in it for fisherfolk?
Greater involvement in planning and decision making, as exhibited throughout the CCCFP drafting process
Improved image and perception of the fisheries sector to give it higher priority in national development and funding
Use the best available information in decision-making, taking into consideration traditional fisherfolk knowledge
Better regulations, enforcement and licensing to help preserve fisher livelihoods

13. What’s in it for fisherfolk? Needed: innovation and cooperation
Opportunities for businesses to grow regionally by expanding the product range
Improved marketing opportunities and market access for fish
Expanded market research and scientific studies to help fishers meet ongoing challenges
Needed: innovation and cooperation

14. Shared resource Shared responsibility
Caribbean people are all interconnected
Fishing is woven throughout our societies
We all benefit in one way or another from our fisheries - jobs, food and recreation
CCCFP comes from a participatory approach to regional cooperation
Fisheries resource management and protection is for all people in the Caribbean
Save the resource today for tomorrow’s generation and others to come

15. CCCFP Status Where we are today: The final step:
Policy is approved by and supported at all levels of CARICOM governments
The final step:
Signature by CARICOM Heads of State
Only 8 signatures needed to enter the policy into force