Regional fisheries officials are concerned about the sustainability of the region’s fish stocks:
The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) convened the Sixth Annual Scientific Meeting of Fisheries from June 7-16 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to examine the state of dolphins and flying fish. The two species are under threat from increased fishing for consumption and for recreational fishing activities, in which dolphin is regarded as a prized catch.
Fisheries experts from within the Region and scientists from Venezuela, Brazil, the French West Indies, Canada, and the United States met in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to discuss complementary management and conservation strategies for the fisheries resources and the industries which depend on them. The meeting also saw the incorporating of economic information into the fishery evaluations to provide more socially acceptable and practical management options.
It has been recognised that increased fishing pressure on either dolphin or flying fish will affect the survival of the other, therefore measures to ensure their sustainability were critical. In this regard, the CRFM has led the charge of providing important outputs needed to drive new fisheries governance patterns.
Read more from Caribbean Net News. See also the website of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism.
(Note that the dolphin referred to in this article are dolphin fish (see accompanying photo), known in other places as mahi mahi or dorado, and not the marine mammal à la Flipper.)
[Photo: Christine Olson]
