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PressReleasefromtheBahamasMarineExportersAssociation
Nassau,Bahamas
FORIMMEDIATERELEASE
SEAFOODPROCESSORSANDFISHERMENDISCUSSSUSTAINABLELOBSTERFISHERY
Amajorcampaigninvolvingeducation,fisheriesmonitoringandastockassessmentoflobsters
hasbegunwithcombinedeffortscomingfromtheDepartmentofMarineResources(DMR),the
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Bahamas Marine Exporters
Association (BMEA), who
representtheprocessorsandthefishermeninthisendeavor.
The
Lobster
or
crawfish
fishery
is
the
most
important
marine
resource
in
the
Bahamas
with,
on
average,5.2millionpoundsof
lobstertailsvaluedat$70millionexportedannually (averaged
overthelast4years).
Many fisheries around the world are regarded as in danger of
collapse from overfishing,
resulting in some environmental groups calling for consumers to
avoid eating seafood. The
fishingandseafoodprocessingindustryofTheBahamasdependsonaglobaltasteforBahamian
lobstertails,andBahamiansarelookingtokeepthelobsteronthemenu.
WorldWildlife Fund (WWF) scientists recentlymetwith personnel
from theDepartment of
Marine Resources (DMR) alongwith stakeholders including seafood
distributors, processors,
andenvironmental
groups
such
as
The
Nature
Conservancy
to
outline
the
steps
for
certifying
theBahamianLobsterFisheryasaCertifiedSustainableFishery.
Ifthisprocessissuccessful,
TheBahamaswouldhave the first Certified Sustainable Fishery in
theCaribbean, and this
certificationwillassure thebroadestpossiblemarket forBahamian
lobstertailsexportedand
served in environmentallyfriendly restaurants and resorts
worldwide. Certification by the
MarineStewardshipCouncilMSCwouldalsoassist
inprovidingaddedobjectiveassurance to
TheBahamasthatitslobsterfisheryiswellmanaged
TheMarineStewardshipCouncil istheworlds
leadingenvironmentalcertificationprogramme
forwildcaught fisheries. Certifications to theMSC
standardsarevoluntaryandopen toany
fishery
around
the
world.
The
programme
was
built
on
the
United
Nations
Food
and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible
Fishing. The certification
processwill call for unprecedented collaboration between
theGovernment of The Bahamas
(Department of Marine Resources), commercial fishermen,
environmental groups, marine
scientists,andseafoodprocessors.
TheMSCcertificationwillputtheBahamianlobsterproduct
in position for a sustainable future, protect the fisheries
resource from overfishing, aid in
haltingillegalandoutofseasonfishing.
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A partnership between scientists from theWWF and the Department
ofMarine Resources
(DMR) resulted in the conduct of a preliminary assessment of the
Bahamian Spiny Lobster
Fisherytoevaluateitssustainability.
TheDepartment
of
Marine
Resources
held
the
first
meeting
after
the
preliminary
studies
in
October2009,withsubsequentmonthlyfollowupmeetingstobeginthecertificationprocess.
The initialmeeting hosted by the Department ofMarine Resources
(DMR) and the World
Wildlife Fund (WWF) on October 6th
and 7th
2009, outlined the need for The Bahamas to
addressthecertificationprocessfortheLobsterfisherytomeetsustainablefisheriesstandards.
TheMarine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification process
includes an assessment of key
componentsofthe
fisheriesmanagement,andamajorityofthekeycomponents required to
receiveapass forcertification. TheFisherywillbe
reassessedeverythreeto fiveyearsto
maintainthesustainablefisherycertification.
Manyofthemajorseafoodbuyersgloballywill
require thisMSCcertification;eventually there is likely tobea
limitedmarket foruncertified
lobster tails. Largemerchandisers inmarketswhereBahamian
crawfish tailsarenow traded
havealready
announced
that
they
will
require
such
certifications
of
the
seafood
they
sell.
Subsequent meetings held in New Providence and Abaco addressed
issues such as Illegal,
Unreported andUnregulated (IUU) fishing issues,poaching andoutof
season catch, lionfish
predation, reef preservation, proper governmental recordkeeping,
enforcement issues and
foreignfishermeninBahamianterritorialwaters.
Theseissuesandothersareallcoveredunder
theMSCcertificationumbrellaandarelineitemsthatmustbeaddressedpriortotheBahamian
LobsterFisheryreceivinganylevelofinternationalrecognitionandcertification.
I never thought Iwould have to contemplate the Bahamaswithout a
sustainable lobster
fishery,but
Iam
seeing
it
come
to
pass
right
before
my
eyes.
We
need
to
preserve
this
resource for generations to come. That iswhy I am supporting
this certificationeffortwith
every asset I have atmy disposal saidGlenn Pritchard, a
fortyyear veteran of the lobster
industryandPresidentofTropicSeafood.
PritchardisjoinedbyMiaIsaacsofHeritageSeafood
andPresidentoftheBMEAwhoechoedhissentimentsandwentontosayMSCcertificationis
essential to preserving the livelihood of thousands of Bahamians
as well as securing our
positionintheworldmarketplace.
ThefactofthematteristhatMSCcertificationwillaidthe
entireBahamianeconomy,notjustthefisheriesindustry.
AsatisfactorygradefromMSCshould
complimentourecotourismeffortsfromrestaurantstoscubadivingexcursions.
Everyonewill
benefit.
[email protected].
