WESTERN CENTR.Z.. L ATLANTIC FISHERY COMMISSION

Report of the fifth session of the

WESTERN CENTR.Z.. L ATLANTICFISHERY COMMISSION

Castries, Saint Lucia, 17-19 july 1985

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

FAO Fisheries Report No. 348 FIPL/R348

FAO LIBRARY AN: 258275

FAO Fisheries Report No, 348

REPORT OF THE

FIFTH SESSION OF THE

WESTERN CENTRAL ATLANTIC FISHERY COMMISSION

Castries, Saint Lucia, 17-19 July 1985

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONSRome 1985

FIPL/R348(En)

The designations employed and the presen-tation of material in this publication do not implythe expression of any opinion whatsoever on thepart of the Food and Agriculture Organization ofthe United Nations concerning the legal status ofany country, territory, city or area or of its author-ities, or concerning the delimitation of its fron-tiers or boundaries.

M-40ISBN 92-5-102370-0

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, storedin a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the priorpermission of the copyright owner. Applications for such perm ission, witha statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should beaddressed to the Director, Publications Division, Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations, Via delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100Rome, Italy.

© FAO 1986

- i -

PREPARATION OF THIS REPORT

This is the final report approved by the Fi fth Se ssion of the Western CentralAtlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC)

Distribution:

Participants at the Se ssion

Me mbe rs of the CommissionNational Cor re spondents of the

CommissionWECAFC Se le ctor

Other inte re ste d nations and

in te rnational organi zat ions

FAO Fishe rie s De partment

FAO Regional Of fice s

FAO Re pre se nt at ive s in countries of

the region

ABSTRACT

This document is the final ve rsion of the report of theFi fth Se ssion of the Western Central At lantic Fi she ry

Commission (WECAFC) held in Castrie s , St . Lucia, from 17 to19 July 1985. Major topics discussed during the Se ssionwe re the state of fishe rie s in the WECAFC are a , managementan d de ve lopment of fishe rie s in the Le sse r Ant ille s region ,

follow-up to the FAO World Con fe rence on Fishe rie s

Management and De ve lopme nt and coope ration wi th othe r

organi zat ions conce rned with fi she rie s in the region. Alist of the main re comme ndat ions of the Se ssion is includedas Appe ndix F.

For bibliographic purpose s this documentshould be cited as follows :

FAO , Re port o f the Fi fth Se ssion of the

1985 Western Central AtlanticFi she ry Commission . Castrie s ,

Saint Lucia, 17-19 July 1985.FAO Fish.Rep., (348 ):27 p.

-1-

INTRODUCTION

The Western Ce ntral Atlantic Fishe ry Commission (WECAFC) held its Fifth Se ssion from17 to 19 Jul y 1985, at the Cunard La Toc Hotel in Castries , Saint Lucia, at the kindinvitation of the Gove rnment of Saint Lucia. It was attended by representative s of 21me mbe r countries of the Commi s s on , an obse rve r fr om one Me mbe r Nation of FAO ,

representatives of the European Economic Community (EEC) , the Sub-Commission for theCaribbean and Adjacent Regions (IOCARIEE) and the Inte rgovernmental OceanographicCommission ( IOC) , and by obse rvers from the Caribbean Community Se cre tariat (CARICOM) ,Organization of Ame rican State s (OAS) and Organization of Easte rn Caribbean States(OECS). The list of delegate s and obse rvers is given in Appendix A. The Se ssion waschaired by Mr Horace Walters , Chie f Fisheries Of fice r of the Ministry of Agriculture ,

Lands, Fi she rie s and Coope rative s of Saint Lucia, Chairman of the Le s se r AntillesCommittee and of the Commission.

OPENING OF THE SESSION

The Se s s on was officially opened by the Honourable Ministe r of Agriculture, Lands,

Fisherie s and Coope rat ive s of Saint Lucia, Mr.. Ira D ' Auve rgne . He we lcomed theparticipants and expre ssed his pleasure that his country had the honour of theChairmanship of the Committee and of the Commission, thus showing the role that smallisland State s can play in making the work of the Commission sensitive to the needs of thele sse r deve loped countries of the region.

The Honourable Ministe r expressed his satisfaction with the number of participantsat the Se ssion which was larger than in any previous Commission' s Session. He describedthe measure s taken by his Government with regard to the deve lopment of national fishe riesand the progress accomplished by the Fishery Management Unit since its establishment byimproving gear and methods , training of fisherme n and fisheries staff, guaranteeing aminimum price for fish and the establishment of a cold-storage facility; the latter wascarried out with the assistance of the Gove rnment of Canada and should promotese lf-suf ficiency in frozen and salted fish. He also emphasized the successfuldeve lopment of fisheries coope rat ive s in Saint Lucia working unde r their umbre llaorganization, the National Association for Fishermen Cooperative s Society Ltd (NAFCO-OP).

While indicating the catalytic role played by Saint Lucia in the drafting of aharmonized fi she rie s regime for the Easte rn Caribbean , the Honourable Ministeracknowledged the invaluable assistance that the region had received from FAO and theCommission and , at the same time, made a plea to inte rnational aid agencies ope rating inthe region for increased funding to meet the regional requirements for fisherie sdeve lopment and for the accomplishment of its main tasks , i .e . , continuous harvest forthe be ne fit of fishe rmen, employment and supply of fish to the people of the region.

The Director of the Fishe ry Re source s and Environment Division of the FAO Fishe riesDe partroe nt , Dr. . A. Lindquist , addressed the Se ssion on behalf of the Director-General ofFAO , Mr. . Edouard Saouma , and of the Assistant Director-General, Fisheries Department ,Mr. . J.E. Carroz. He warmly thanked the Government of Saint Lucia for its generoushospitality in hosting the Se ssion of the Commission as we 11 as the Second Se ssion of theWECAFC Le sse r Anti lle s Committee and the Workshop on Fishe ries De ve lopment Planning , and

for the exce lle nt preparation and facilities put at the disposal of the three meetings .He brie fly summarized the main objectives and goals of the Commission, which of fers a

unique forum for discussion of important questions in fishery deve lopment and management,of conce rn to all membe r countries.

In reviewing the trends of fish landing figures during the past decade , he notedthat the foreign fleets ' catche s dropped from 41 000 t in 1974 to 9 000 t in 1983, whilethe catche s of the countries of the region, when excluding the United State s of Arne rica ,increased from 450 000 t, in 1974 to nearly 700 000 t in 1983, a 50 pe rcent increase . He

stressed the importance of fish resources as a source of foreign exchange in the region,where Central Ame rican and Caribbean countries imported fish and fishery products valuedat US$ 147 million during 1983 and exported fishe ry products , mainly shrimps , valued atUS$ 735 million re sulting in a large positive balance of trade . He also indicated that

at pre sent the per caput consumption in the region was somewhat lower than the mean

-2

figure for the whole world is (12 kg per caput per year), although there were important

variations in per caput consumption within the region. As there was evidence that many

of the fish stocks in the region are either fully exploited or even over-exploited, any

sustained increase in catch will require effective fisheries management policies.

The attention of the Commission was drawn to the activities carried out by FAO inthe region since the last Session held in Managua, Nicaragua, in 1983, and also to the

FAO World Conference on Fisheries Management and Development which took place almost

exactly 12 months ago in Rome and which was attended by most members of this Commission.

Referring to the World Fisheries Conference's adoption of a Strategy for FisheriesManagement and Development and approval of five Programmes of Action, Dr Lindquist drew

the attention of the Commission to certain imbalances in funding of the various elementsof the five Programmes of Action, which mainly reflected donor preferences.

He concluded by emphasizing the need for strengthened cooperation between

governments and organizations concerned with fisheries in the region, and expressed his

satisfaction for the participation at Session of numerous representatives of membercountries and observers from international organizations, thus showing their willingnessto make good use of the Commission's forum to discuss fishery matters of common concern.

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE SESSION

The Commission adopted the Agenda which is given in Appendix B. The documents for

the Session are listed in Appendix C.

INTER-SESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

The Secretariat reviewed the inter-sessional activities undertaken by FAO inresponse to the decisions and recommendations of the Fourth Session of the Commission andnoted that the Commission's membership had increased to a total of 28 countries. In

order to improve communications between member countries and promote TechnicalCooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC), the FAO Regional Office for Latin Americaand the Caribbean had outposted a Regional Fisheries Officer to Trinidad and Tobago in1984.

Other inter-sessional activities carried out included training for stock assessmentand artisanal fisheries; technical missions to several countries of the region; sessionsof the Working Parties on the Assessment of Marine Fishery Resources and on FisheryStatistics; and consultations on fishery legislation as well as on (various) other

technical matters. National and regional fisheries projects had been implemented.Several FAO technical reports had been published and widely distributed to countries ofthe region. Information had also been provided on the different sources of funding forFAO assistance in fisheries and the conditions under which member States could apply forassistance.

Activities carried out under the TCDC framework included training on artisanal

fisheries, on fish inspection and quality control, and an exchange of experiences infishery management and fishery cooperatives.

The Commission approved the recommendation made by the Working Parties on ResourceAssessment and on Statistics, which suggested that experts from WECAFC member countriesother than those selected by FAO be permitted to attend future meetings provided thattheir Governments/Institutions finance such attendance. The Commission also agreed thatfuture meetings of both WECAFC Working Parties be scheduled, whenever possible, andsubject to invitation by the host Government, concurrently with the annual meeting of theGulf and Caribbean Fishery Institute (GCFI). The GCFI will hold its 1985 meeting inMartinique in November, but such a joint session of GCFI and the WECAFC Working Partiescould not be scheduled before 1986.

With regard to publications, particular mention was made of the FAO SpeciesIdentification Sheets for the Western Central Atlantic. An updated version is envisagedfor 1986, provided that extra-budgetary funds can be identified. The Commission praisedthe value of this publication, supported its updating in English/Spanish and suggested

-3

that part of the funds required might be met through sale of the publication tointerested use rs in the region.

Mention was also made of the manual for field training to be prepared by FAO on FishAggregating Device s ( FADs ) in which the Commission e xpressed great interest

, Thedelegations of France and Saint Christopher and Nevis of fe red to provide and shareinformation on their experience with FADs so as to make this FAO publication morecomprehensive . France also indicated that its expe rience with FADs was ready forimplementation by fishermen.

With respect to communications between the Secretariat and membe r countries, theCommission re cogni zed that these have improved with the nominat i on of NationalCorrespondents by almost all Governments. The Commission agreed that the post tit le ,

followed by the name of the officer nominated by each Cove rnment , be used for futurecorrespondence . Any changes to the present name s of National Correspondents- should becommunicated of ficially to the Secretariat . Additional copies of re levant documents onfisheries are also being sent to Directors of Fishe ries Departments in the re gi on.

Gre at interest was expressed in the coope rative IOC/FAO acti vi tie s related to fishmass mortalities in the area and it was recommended that cooperation with TOC on thj smatte r be continued. The Secretariat would di stribute , as soon as available , the reportof a meeting on toxic dinoflage late s , recently held in Canada. The French delegationwould provide the Secretariat with a preliminary report of research on ciguate ra in thesubregion for distribution to those interested. The USA de legation informed theCommission that the proceedings of the Ciguatera Confe rence recently held in Puerto Rico(April 1985) will be published in the Marine Fisheries Review later this year. It alsooffered to provide , on request , satellite data on water colour (chlorophyll) and depthfor the Caribbean region which had been obtained ove r the 1 ast six years.

Satisfaction was expressed with the work carried out by FAO in fulfilling thedecisions and recommendations of the previous Commission Session. The Se c re t a ri a t

stre ssed the need for feedback from member countries in orde r to keep data andinformation relevant to the region up-to-date , and to distribute it in a time ly fashionto member countries.

The Commission recommended that regional and sub-regional coope ration be continuedand expanded, and that expertise available in the re gi on be used in future advisoryactivi ties of FAO.

STATE OF FISHERIES IN THE WECAFC REGION

The Se ore tariat introduced documents WECAFC/85/3 , WECAFC/85/4 and WECAFC/85/5, inwhich detailed information was given on the fisheries situation in the area and on thedeliberations and recommendations of the Working Parties.

Economic and Trade Aspects

De spite the increase in fish production in the WECAFC area ove r the last decade

noted in document WECAFC/85/3, there had been no signi ficant increases in production inthe last two years except in a few countries, e .g. , USA, Guyana, Venezuela, Saint Lucia

and Mexico. The gap between production and demand in most countries was being filled by

imports. The importance of work aimi.ng at import substitution by local fish wasrecognized by the Commission.

The US de le gate re fe r re d to the de ve lopme nt in the Le s se r Ant i lie s re gion during the

past 6-8 months of a longline fishery targeted to swordfish. He indicated that the 15

boats now in ape ration were expected to double by the end of the year and they would seek

permission to fish in the FEZ,s of the countries of the Lesser Antilles and to use theports for trans-Shipment as well as for inarke ting the by-catch of tuna, and other

pelagics.

The de legation of F; ance re fe rred to obstacles to the development of intra-regional

trade , in particular the difficulties encounte red in the commerci alization of fish , both

within the same country, and be twee n adjacent countries. The demand for fish in

- 4 -

Martinique could not be satisfied by production in French Guyana because of particularconsumer preferences. Also this demand could not be satisfied by neighbouring countriesof the Lesser Antilles (e.g., Saint Lucia) because they both had the same peak periods ofproduction.

While acknowledging the existence of various constraints, the Commission recognizedthe need to explore mechanisms for expanding intra-regional trade in fish products andurged governments to facilitate such trade where possible.

The delegation of Mexico referred to national experience in shrimp by-catchutilization; 14 000 t were used annually as fish paste and other products. As most ofthe technological problems for the utilization of by-catch had been solved, it wasrecommended that countries should start utilizing the existing technology.

Natural Management Areas and Stock Delineation

The Commission noted with interest the discussion on natural management areas asgiven in document WECAFC/85/3. The general applicability of this concept was howeverquestioned, and the use of ecological zones and/or stock units was suggested asalternatives.

It was recommended that further clarification and a more detailed discussion paperon the subject as it relates to the region be prepared for the next Session of theCommission. In the case of the Lesser Antilles, stock boundaries may lie across severalEEZs for coastal and oceanic pelagic species, among other resources.

The Secretariat noted that it proposed to organize , in cooperation with theUniversity of Miami, Florida, a workshop on shrimp resources of the Guyanas and Brazil.The meeting, which will discuss the assessment and joint management of resources lyingacross national boundaries in that subregion, is tentatively scheduled for 1986.

Resource Surveys

The delegation of the USA confirmed his country's willingness to consider providingcountries with access to the Research Vessel OREGON II in order to repeat the surveysdone in the early 1960s so as to determine long-term changes in fish and shrimpabundance. Interested countries were requested to contact the National Marine FisheriesService (NMFS) via the Secretariat 12-18 months prior to the proposed cruise.

Note was also taken of the Colombian offer of a research vessel for cooperativeresearch surveys; interested parties should channel their enquiries through theSa cre tariat

The delegation of France informed the Commission that it would be conductingresearch on acoustic techniques, hydrological and gear technology in the Lesser Antillesfor six months during 1986 and 1987. Some trainees from other WECAFC countries couldparticipate in this exercise.

The delegation of Bahamas referred to the surveys undertaken with FAO assistance, ofsnapper and grouper resources carried out on, the Bahamian shelf edge in the early 1970sand the assessment of the shallow-water resources using aerial photography and underwatervisual count, concluded in 1984. As most Bahamian fishermen prefered to concentratetheir efforts on the shallow-water lobster resources, fishermen from Florida had beenapproached to explore the deep-water snapper/grouper and offshore pelagic resources on atrial basis, after which concrete recommendations would be made regarding the furtherexploitation of the fish resources.

The representation of CARICOM informed the Commission of the proposed CIDA/CARICOMSurvey of Living Marine Resources in the Caribbean Region which had been discussed at theCARICOM Technical Fisheries Seminar held in March 1985. The Commission expressed itsinterest in receiving further information on the plans when they were developed.

-5 -

Environmental Considerations and Habitat Protection

Reference was made to the importance of mangroves to fisheries. It was suggestedthat international, regional and national organizations and institutions working on thissubject in the region should coordinate their efforts to further elucidate the roleplayed by mangroves in providing an habitat for juvenile fish and shellfish.

The Secretariat drew attention to the recent meeting of the FAO Advisory Committeeon Marine Resources Research (ACMRR) which discussed this type of coordination andcooperation. It was also pointed out that mangroves seemed more important from a fisheryperspective than for their use in forestry. The report of the ACMRR meeting wasavailable on request from the Secretariat.

The representative of IOC referred to the proposed FAO/IOC Workshop on recruitmentprocesses in tropical coastal demersal communities, which would analyse, amongst others,the importance of mangroves, coastal lagoons and estuaries for fisheries. The meetingwould be held in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, Mexico, at the end of 1985.

The Commission agreed that CARICOM should coordinate information on sewage pollutionproblems in the area and disseminate the information.

Statistics

The Commission noted with appreciation the offer of Mexico to develop a regionalcentre for collaboration on fisheries statistics and agreed in principle to the proposal.However, more detailed information was required which would be distributed through theSecretariat by the Coordinator of the Working Party on Statistics. A short descriptionof the proposal is given in Appendix D.

The Commission endorsed the recommendation that more data be collected on fishingeffort, size frequencies of catch, and on operational costs and revenues as they relateto fishing operations by various types of boats, and processing/storage enterprises.This data wherever possible should be collected utilizing a standard format, to be

provided by the Secretariat.

The Commission urged the countries to identify and eliminate sources of systematicerrors and bias in data collection systems, and collect information on conversion factorsfor stock assessment purposes.

FAO was requested to develop and provide micro-computer programmes in stockassessment and fisheries statistics. It was agreed that a systems analyst was requiredto help countries to develop micro-computer capabilities.

Although a separate national correspondent for fisheries statistics was notfeasible, contacts within the region could be maintained on an informal basis by thoseindividuals concerned, writing through their appropriate Directorates.

Training

The Commission acknowledged the importance of training in various fields asmentioned in the reports of the two Working Parties (Documents WECAFC/85/4, WECAFC/85/5).

It was recommended that FAO explore the possibility of holding training courses onquality control of fishery products, on statistical analysis and on training of fisheriespersonnel in statistical data collection at the field level. It was recognized that thistype of training could be done within the region utilizing the TCDC mechanism.

The Commission recommended that the report of the training course on stockassessment, held in Isla de Mujeres in 1981, be published, and that the report of theFAO/DANIDA training course on stock assessment should be made available when prepared.

The Commission supported the recommendation of the Working Party on FisheryStatistics on the need for training in the use of micro-computers, particularly forcompiling fisheries statistical data and/or stock assessment purposes. However, caution

The Commission noted that the harmonization of fishe rie s legislation in the OECScountries had unde rlined the need for e nforcing fishe ry regulations in the region.

The feasibility of using small aircraft for this purpose was discussed . Thisappe a red to be a cost /e f fe ctive approach to surve i 1 lance if it could be done on acoope ra Live basis using comme rcial aircraft . The use of large aircraft for fishe rie spatrol purpose s was not cost-e f fe ctive as indicated by French expe rience .

Co ope rat ive air surve illance might also be e f fe ctive if agencies such as the coastguard or police could undertake fishe rie s surve i 1 lance during routine ope rations forot he r purpose s .

The need for training fishe rie s of fice rs and policemen in enforcing fi she r ie s

regulations was emphasi zed .

Othe r Matte rs Re late d to the Above Topics

The Commis s i on took note of the of fe rs o f Bra zi 1 , Panama and Be rmuda to host thenext sessions of both Working Par tie s .

The Commis sion strongly re comme nded that countries support the role o f theirnational e xpe rts in carrying out the inte r-sessional activities sugge sted by the twoWorking Par tie s .

Aquaculture

The Commission noted that although the world increase in aquaculture production ove rthe last decade was of the orde r of 6-7 pe rce nt annua lly , the contribution in theCa ri bbe an had been of the orde r of only 1 percent . Attention was drawn to the approvalby the FAO World Fisheries Con fe re nce of a Programme of Action devoted to aquaculturede ve 1 o pme nt

The a q ua culture potential of the Caribbean had bee n re cogni zed by all countries ofWECAFC , but since coastal aquaculture de ve lopment was not a traditional activity in thisregion , it would require gove rnmental and inte rnational support .

it was agreed that the Commission could assist de ve lopment of this sector byidenti fying are as for priority action and pilot proje cts , and by supporting training onextension act ivit ie s .

The La t in Ame ri can Aquaculture Regional Centre in Brazil (CERLA) and the proposedCa ribbe an regional centre in Jamaica for fre shwate r and coastal aquaculture we resupported , and collaboration be twee n these two centre s was encouraged by the Commission.

The de le ga t ion of Haiti noted the national importance of aquaculture in providing asource of animal protein a fte r the recent swine feve r epidemic which led to a drasticreduction in protein supply to rural populations .

The delegation of France indicated that the culture of Macrobrachium rose nbe rgii wasdeve loped on comme rcial scale in Guade loupe

, Martinique and Guyana. The culture of theMe dite r rane an spe cie s of marine fish , Dice nt rarchus 1 abr ax was we 1 1 de ve lope d by a

-6-

should be e xe rcized in action taken to introduce high te chnology that countries might notbe capable o f absorbing without appropriate logistic support .

The de legation of the USA re fe r re d to the use of micro-compute rs in a lobste r

management programme for Puerto Rico and indicated that training may be available for oneor two pe rsons in this context . He also mentioned that NOAA/NMFS could also train alimi ted numbe r o f pe rsons in the use of micro-compute rs .

The Commission noted the need for pe riodic workshops or training course s on subje ctssuch as e conomics and fishe rie s planning and management.

Fishery Regulations and Surveillance

- 7 -

private enterprise. Information on these private ente rprises could be obtained onrequest from the French national correspondent of WECAFC. The culture of various localspecies, e.g., Trachinotus falcatus also might be a potentially successful enterprise formarine cage culture. A team of aquaculture experts in the French territories couldassist the Jamaica centre for aquaculture training, particularly in fish pathology andnutrition.

The delegation of Bahamas noted the successfull development of culture of aquariumfish species for export. The role of the Government was to provide incentives tofacilitate the development of large-scale aquaculture operations by the private sectorand to provide incentives, information and extension services to small-scale operations.

The delegation of Mexico noted that aquaculture development was important to allsectors of the WECAFC community, but expressed concern at recent collapse in shrimpprices on the international market and its potential impact both on shrimp farming andthe marine fishery. The lack of a planning mechanism in this sector was noteworthy, andmight lead to the possibility of a catastrophic situation in international markets. The

desirability of some mechanism for discussing the potential interactions of varioussectors of the shrimp industry was evident. Reference was also made to experience inculture of conch (Strombus gigas) and offered to assist other countries in training inthis sector.

The delegation of Trinidad and Tobago expressed concern regarding the potential

ecological impact of large-scale coastal aquaculture, and the dangers of entering this

sector without information on previous regional experience in this activity.

The delegation of Brazil supported this point of view and emphasized the need toexchange experience on cost-benefit analysis of aquaculture ventures.

The delegation of the Republic of Korea offered to provide, on request, training in

aquaculture for countries in the region under a programme that had been in effect since1968 and that had already provided assistance on fishermen training.

The delegation of Mexico referred to the possible dangers of introducing pathogensin the transplantation of species within the region especially for shrimp species, andthe importance of genetic studies in aquaculture development over the long term.

The delegation of Guatemala stressed the importance of freshwater aquaculture in therural sector, and as far as mariculture was concerned, indicated the necessity to becautious in order to avoid possible conflicts between shrimp fishery and shrimp culture,which might arise from the excessive use of post-larval specimens of the estuaries for

shrimp culture.

The FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean noted that study tours

were still being organized in the field of aquaculture and that literature and video

cassettes describing regional experience in aquaculture would soon be available.

70 The delegation of Venezuela described regulatory measures in force for introductionof Penaeid shrimp species in his country.

In relation to paragraph 31 of document WECAF/85/9 (Programue III, Aquaculture

Development), the Commission recommended that FAO should initiate a study by a small

group, including experts from the region on socio-economic aspects of shrimp exploitation

development in the WECAFC region, including shrimp farming and shrimp catching

activities.

MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF FISHERIES IN THE LESSER ANTILLES

The Secretaiat presented the report of the Second Session of the Committee for the

Development and Management of Fisheries in the Lesser Antilles held in Saint Lucia,

11-12 July 1985.

The points discussed related to the following issues:

- 8 -

The favourable situation for cooperative actions in fisheries in the subregionprovided by the harmonization of fisheries legislation, following upon the twoOECS/FAO workshops;

Consideration of the nature and mode of exploitation of resources lying acrosstwo or more exclusive economic zone (EEZs), particularly of migratory pelagicresources;

It was strongly recommended that a workshop on these resources be held; the

provisional invitation by the USA that the workshop be held in Puerto Rico wasnoted, conditional on meeting certain requirements;

The role of the proposed outposted FAO Fisheries Resources Officer in

organizing this workshop and in providing inputs on this subject, wasrecognized by the Committee;

Some coordination of standardization, collection and storage of data wasproposed, as well as a network of data exchange, possibly involving one or morecentres for data compilation in the subregion;

The problems of organization of fish trade, in view of the synchrony ofseasonal surpluses, were addressed by the Committee. The need for furtherdiscussion on intraregional trade, fish processing and the role of fish innutrition was recognized.

74. The priorities of the Committee for future work include:

Investigation of the state of marine resources and developing appropriatemanagement strategies;

To provision of advice and training to fisheries technical staff in membercountries (especially for administrators on fishery policy, planning andeconomics);

Marketing and the possibility of import substitution; and

Training of fishermen and boat builders.

75. The delegation of Saint Lucia stressed the importance for the subregion of theactivities on consumer education being carried out within the framework of the projectGCP/INT/417/NOR "The role of fisheries in alleviating undernutrition".

76. Taking into account the high priority given by the Committee to the need toinvestigate the state of marine resources in the Lesser Antilles, the EEC Representativeindicated how the EEC could collaborate in this matter. EEC collaboration might beoffered through the normal procedures foreseen by the Lomd Convention, or throughbilateral fishing agreements on a reciprocal basis. The EEC Representative alsoindicated that African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries could benefit from-interregional trade in fishery products with EEC countries and also called theirattention to the joint declaration in Annex'7 of the Lomd Convention concerning suchtrade activities.

77. The delegation of France proposed that an informal meeting of Lesser AntillesFisheries Officers be held during the inter-sessional period and also suggested anothermeeting on subregional issues related to statistics and assessment of marine resources.Both meetings would be inter-sessional activities and could take place in Martinique, inNovember 1985, at the occasion of the GCFI annual meeting. The proposal was supported byLesser Antilles countries.

78. The Secretariat expressed its satisfaction with the proposed meetings but indicated,however, that FAO had no funds to cover the attendance of participants. Moreover, withthe aim of avoiding duplication of efforts, it suggested that the matters to be discussedshould be in agreement with the inter-sessional work programme decided in Paipa,Colombia, in November 1985, and included in the Reports of the WECAFC Working Parties.

-9-

Considering the recommendation for the establishment of a Data Centre for OECS andCARICOM countries, and the National Data Centres already existing in other countries ofthe subregion, especially in the French departments, the delegation o France emphasizedthe need to coordinate the collection and compilation of data at a subregiona] level.

He also underlined the need to undertake within the region as many researchprogrammes as possible on a cooperative basis (e.g., on pelagics, ciguatera) instead oflimiting studies to turtles, lobsters and demersal species. Balanced 4evelopment of thefisheries sector, including aquaculture in the Lesser Antilles, would also depend to agreat extent on the improvement of the intra-regional trade of fisheries products.

The delegation of the USA noted that management plans for shrimp, snapper andgroupers, Spanish and king mackerel and stone crab had developed by the US RegionalFisheries Management Council covering fishing areas included in the WECAFC region. Inoffering these plans to WECAFC member countries, it specifically indic-Led that Trinidadand Tobago might wish to consider the USA management plan for Spanish and king mackerelwhen drafting and/or implementing its own.

The delegation of Trinidad and Tobago expressed full support for the Report of theLesser Antilles Committee Session and its recommendations and also indicated the interestof his country in being kept informed on the regular activities of the Committee,stressing his country's interest in participating in meetings organi,ed within theframewoik of the Committee. The Secretariat informed the meeting that documents from theCommittee were available to all member countries of FAO, and other countries could attendthe Committee in Observer status.

The Secretariat informed the Commission that the syllabus of the FAO/CARICOMWorkshop on Fishery Legislation was being reviewed by the Organization and that the

implementation of the Workshop would be subject to the availability of funds.

PLANNING OF FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT IN THE WECAFC REGION

Dr J. Carranza Fraser, Chairman of the Workshop on Fisheries Development Planning inthe WECAFC region, 15-16 July 1985, presented the report of the workshop. It had beenorganized by FAO as a follow-up of the recommendations of the 1984 FAO World Conferenceon Fisheries Management and Development.

The Commission expressed its appreciation for the initiative taken by Fk0 in thisrespect and approved the report of the Workshop and its recommendations, which were asfollows:

Bearing in mind that most countries in the region now formulate

or attempt to formulate fisheries development plans, programmes and projects,the Workshop recommended that the fisheries planning systems of countries beadjusted to the special characteristics of the sector and be integrated withthe respective national planning systems. The Workshop felt that the process

of formulating a fisheries plan must be supported by an appropriate

information system and the use of suitable techniques including, amongothers, multidisciplinary work, mechanisms combining the efforts of

fishermen, biologists, economists, sociologists, etc., as appropriate.

The Workshop requested FAO to continue its assistance activities in the

WECAFC region in the field of fisheries economics and development planning.It was recommended, in particular, that FAO prepare and distribute trainingmaterials on fisheries development planning and fishery economics in theregion.

In the light of the results of the similar Seminar held in Montevideo, whichwas attended by most Spanish-speaking countries of the WECAFC region, theWorkshop recommended that FAO study the possibility of org,inizing a similaractivity in 1987 for the English-speaking countries of the region.

The Workshop emphasized that fisheries research should be strongly supportedbecause it was important in providing biological, socio-economic and

technological data for planning, management and development of fisheries.

It was recommended that the Member Nations concerned should request allrelevant universities in the region to include a fisheries component in thegeneral courses in economics.

FOLLOW-UP TO THE WORLD FISHERIES CONFERENCE

The Commission considered this item on the basis of document WECAFC/85/9 and ofadditional information provided by the Secretariat on measures taken or planned by theDirector-General to implement the recommendations of the 1984 FAO World FisheriesConference.

The Commission expressed its appreciation for the initiative taken by the

Director-General of FAO in convening the World Fisheries Conference at such an opportunetime. Reference was made to recent developments affecting world fisheries, for example,the adoption in 1982 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, in which theconcept of exclusive economic zones was an essential element as regards fisheries; thelevelling off in world fish catches during the past decade; the widening gap between thesupply of and demand for food fish; and the rising costs of harvesting production andmanagement, together with increasing prices for fish products in relation to other foodcommodities.

It was felt that the Conference had definitely created an awareness of the presentand potential role of fisheries and of the contribution they could make to nationalself-sufficiency in food production and toward food security. The Conference had alsobrought the attention of national authorities at the highest level and of internationalinstitutions to the special needs and problems of the fisheries sector.

The Commission welcomed the endorsement by the World Fisheries Conference of theStrategy for Fisheries Management and Development and the adoption of five Programmes ofAction designed to assist developing countries, mostly at regional and subregional

levels, to increase their food production and improve their individual and collectiveself-reliance in fisheries.

The Commission noted the manner in which the follow-up requirements of the WorldFisheries Conference had been reflected in the proposals for the Organization's Programmeof Work and Budget for 1986-87.

The Commission considered that the five Programmes of Action approved by the WorldFisheries Conference provided a comprehensive and integrated framework for the provisionof development assistance in fisheries, to be undertaken not only by FAO but also bymultilateral and bilateral agencies, by regional organizations and by Member Nationsthemselves. The Commission noted with satisfaction that consultations had been initiatedby FAO with bilateral and multilateral donor agencies and financing institutions and thatdiscussions were being held with governments regarding offers of collaboration made atthe World Fisheries Conference. Preliminary, estimates of the minimum extra-budgetaryresources needed annually to finance the activities proposed over a period of up to fiveyears, beginning in 1985, were approximately US$ 15 million per year. The implementationof the Programmes of Action will depend on the availability of extra-budgetary resources.It was noted, however, that significant part of FAO's Regular Programe resources aredevoted to providing technical advice and support to field activities, and this appliedto the Programmes of Action.

The Commission noted that the contributions being made available for activities tobe executed by FAO showed that the amount and purpose of development assistance dependedon the policies and priorities of donors. The Commission pointed out that there wereimbalances in the support being offered to the various regions and requested that FAOundertake further consultations with donors in order to remedy the situation in the

WECAFC region. It was strongly emphasized that these imbalances have particular impactin the WECAFC region.

The Commission noted that a progress report on the implementation of therecommendation of the World Fisheries Conference would be submitted to the November 1985session of the FAO Conference and that further progress reports to be submitted tosubsequent sessions of the Committee on Fisheries and to the governing bodies of FAOwould cover not only activities carried out by FAO but also those implemented outside theframework of FAO by countries and other organizations.

In considering the implementation of the Resolution adopted by the World FisheriesConference on the role of the fishermen, the Commission agreed that in view of theconsiderable procedural, programme and, above all, financial implications of proclaimingan International Year of the Fisherman and a World Fisheries Day, priority should begiven to devoting scarce resources to the implementation of those aspects of theProgrammes of Action which were concerned with better conditions for fishermen and theirfamilies. It noted that the Director General of FAO had agreed that fishermen andfishing communities would be a major theme for World Food Day in 1986.

COOPERATION WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS CONCERNED WITH FISHERIES IN THE AREA

The Secretariat provided information on activities undertaken jointly with otherinternational organizations, namely IOC, UNEP, OLDEPESCA, CARICOM and OECS. Detaileddescriptions of these cooperative activities with international organizations were givenin document WECAFC/85/10. In order to inform the Commission on fisheries activities byother organizations or agencies in the region, the Secretariat has also presented adocument (WECAFC/85/Inf.7) listing ongoing projects by other agencies, based oninformation made available to FAO.

The representative of IOC described activities jointly undertaken or proposed withFAO in the WECAFC region. Particular mention was made of the Tropical DemersalRecruitment Project (TRODERP) for the countries of the intertropical area, one of thecomponents of the Programme on Oceanic Science in Relation to Living Resources(OSRL-IREP).

The Commission noted the information submitted by the Representative of theCaribbean Community (CARICOM) on the recommendations from the Third CARICOM FisheriesSeminar and related decisions of the CARICOM Standing Committee of Ministers responsiblefor Agriculture. The Commission also noted that the CARICOM and OECS Secretariatsproposed follow-up activities of a cooperative nature in other fora with countries of thewider Caribbean, as well as with international organizations working in the region.

The delegate of Nicaragua conveyed to the Commission the apologies of OLDEPESCA atits inability to be represented at the Session of the Commission and kind regards ofMr. J.J. Cardenás Ronco, its Executive Director. He presented a brief summary of recentactivities carried out by OLDEPESCA, some of them in cooperation with FAO.

The Commission stressed the importance of the cooperative activities carried out byFAO with other organizations concerned with fisheries and strongly recommended that theyshould be continued and, wherever possible, improved.

The Representative of the European Economic Community (EEC) outlined the reasons forthe EEC's participation in the Fifth Session of the WECAFC. The Commission includes inits area of competence affeat part of waters falling under the jurisdiction of a MemberState of the EEC, France , which were thus subject to the Common Fisheries Policy of

the Community. This policy provides, among other aspects, for the Community to be

responsible for representing its Member States in bilateral fishery relations as well aswith international fishery organizations.

The Representative of the EEC stated the willingness of the EEC to collaborate fullywith the Commission in the conservation and management of resources in the area, and tocontinue or initiate exploratory discussions with the relevant authorities in certain

1/ Overseas Territories of the UK and the Netherlands in the region are notcovered by the Treaty of Rome establishing the EEC

- 12 -

islands of the region on problems related to reciprocal access, and to examinepossibilities of promoting further cooperation in the fisheries field within theframework of the Third Lomd Convention between ACP States and the EEC.

ANY OTHER MATTERS

The delegation of Saint Lucia expressed its concern that the proposed TechnicalSupport Unit for the Lesser Antilles countries had not yet been established. Discussionsfollowed on the convenience of directing the Commission's efforts toward the

establishment of such a Technical Support Unit, or alternatively, toward there-establishment of a WECAFC project. The FAO Secretariat indicated that any projectproposal in one or the other direction depended on the availability of funds fromfinancing agencies. The Commission strongly supported the search for such a financialsupport for either one or the other of these alternatives.

The Commission, recognizing the present difficulties in raising funds from donoragencies for regional fisheries projects, stressed the importance and utility ofhorizontal cooperation among countries of the region.

The issue of the need for training in fishery planning and economics was re-openedfor discussion (see paragraph 49). The Commission nominated an ad hoc Working Groupcomposed of delegates from Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico, Saint Lucia to prepare the terms ofreference for the suggested subsidiary body on Fishery Economics and Planning (seeAnnex E). The Scretariat explained the financial implications of the establishment of anew Working Party. The Commission suggested that FAO explore the possibility of holdingalternate meetings of the Working Party on Fishery Statistics and of a new one on FisheryPlanning and EconolAcs, or to organize training on these subjects in the near future.

105 With respect to ciguatera and other toxic phenomena, e.g., clupeoid poisoning andmass mortalities of fish occurring in the region, the Delegation of Jamaica suggestedthe setting up of a regional alert mechanism, which could work through the nationalcorrespondents and the Chairman of WECAFC.

106. The delegation of the USA informed the Commission regarding the Second WesternAtlantic Turtle Symposium (WATS II), sponsored by IOCARIBE and many other organizationswhich will be held during October 1987 at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The Symposium will aim:

to document the extent of nesting of five of the regional species attheir major nesting beaches and the nesting of hawksbills on allbeaches;

to document the harvest of sea turtles and their eggs wherever thisOCCUrS.

This would be accomplished through coordination of national correspondents of eachparticipating country.

107. WATS I was held in San Jose, Costa Rica, in July 1983, with the support of FAO.. Copies of the Proceedings and of the Sea Turtle Manual can be obtained from the Secretaryof WATS II. Data for WATS II will be collected and compiled during 1985-87.

108. The Commission appreciated the efforts and supported the work being carried out byWATS.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

109. The Commission appointed a Nomination Committee composed of Antigua and Barbuda,Brazil, Nicaragua, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA. The Commission adopted the proposalby the Nomination Committee and unanimously elected the following Officers: Chairman;Mexico; Vice-Chairmen: France and Saint Lucia.

- 13 -

DATE AND PLACE OF THE SIXTH SESSION

The Commission accepted with pleasure an offer made by the Government of Mexico tohost the Sixth Session. According to the Rules of Procedure, the date and place will bedetermined by the Director-General of FAO in consultation with the Chairman and thecompetent authorities of the Host Government.

ADOPTION OF THE REPORT AND CLOSURE OF THE SESSION

This report was adopted by the Commission on 19 July 1985.

The Commission expressed its appreciation to the Government and people of SaintLucia for hosting the Fifth Session and for providing such excellent facilities andhospitality.

In his closing remarks, Dr. A. Lindquist expressed his satisfaction with the workaccomplished by the Commission during its Fifth Session and the consensus achieved. He

expressed his gratitude to the Chairman of the Session, Mr. H. Walters (Saint Lucia) forhis dedication and hard work, and to his staff, wno had contributed to the success of theSession.

In closing the Session, the Chairman conveyed his gratitude to the Director-Generalof FAO for his continuous support to the region.

Antigua and Barbuda

MARTIN, R.

Senator/Liaison OfficerMinistry of Agriculture, lands

and FisheriesLong StreetSt. John'sAntigua

ARRINDELL, R.c/o Permanent SecretaryMinistry of Agriculture, Lands

and FisheriesLong StreetSt. John'sAntigua

Bahamas

THOMPSON, R.Director of FisheriesMinistry of Agriculture, Fisheries

and Local GovernmentP.O. Box 3028Nassau

Barbados

WILLOUGHBY, S.Marine BiologistFisheries DivisionMinistry of AgricultureBay StreetSt. Michael

Brazil

PARENTE LIRA CAVALCANTE, P.Fisheries Research OfficerPDP-SUDEPERua Visconde de MauA, 685Aldeota60 000 Fortaleza CearA

Colombia

VALENCIA, J.E.Jefe

División Aministracióny Fomento Pesquero

INDERENABogotà

Cuba

- 15 -

APPENDIX A

List of Participants

Dominica

DARROUX, FannyFisheries OfficerFisheries DivisionMinistry of AgricultureGovernment HeadquartersRoseau

France (Martinique)

JAFFRAY, R.

Directeur des Affaires maritimesGuadeloupe, Martinique, Guyane

B.F. 620

97261 Fort-de-France CddexMartinique

GUILLOU, A.IFREMERPointe-Fort97231 Le-RobertMartinique

Gre nada

STEELE, R.Manager

Artisanal Fisheries ProjectMinistry of AgricultureSt. George's

Guatemala

GARCIA MEJIA, A.Asesor TdcnicoDirección Servicios PecuariosDITEPESCAMinisterio de AgriculturaEdificio Galeria Reforma 4°Av. Reforma 8-60, Zona 9Guatemala C.A.

Guinea

SY SAVANE, A.O.Chef de Cabinet du Secr6tariatd'Etat A la pêche

Conakry

Guyana

- 16 -

Haiti Netherlands

LAFONTANT, P.G. NicaraguaChef du Service des pechesDdpartement de l'agriculture, MARTINEZ, S.

des ressources naturelles Directoret du ddveloppement rural Centro de Investigaciones Pesqueras

Damien A.P. 2020Port-au-Prince Managua

Jamaica Panama

ROYER, E.A.Director of FisheriesFisheries DivisionMinistry of AgricultureP.O. Box 470Kingston 6

Japan

Korea (Rep. of)

YONG-S00 LEE,Fishery Attache of the KoreanEmbassy in SurinameMalebatrum straatParamariboSuriname

Mexico

CARRANZA FRASER, J.Asesor del Secretario de PescaSecretaria de PescaAlvaro Obregón 286/6 PisoMdxico D.F.

GALNARES MEZA, I.Director de Estudios y DocumentaciónSecretaria de PescaAlvaro Obregón 286/6Mdxico D.F.

GONZALES GOMES, V.M.Jefe del Departamento de Organismos

Internacionales de CooperaciónCientifico-Tdcnica

Dirección de Asuntos PesquerosInternacionales

Secretaria de PescaAlvaro Obregón 2691/8° pisoMdxico D.F.Tel. 514-14-89

RODRIGUEZ DE LA CRUZ, M. ConcepciónDirectora de DivisiónInstituto Nacional de la PescaSecretaria de PescaLonches 259 10° pisoMdxico D.F.

MARTINEZ, A.Director General de Recursos MarinosMinisterio de Comercio e IndustriasP.O. Box 3318Panamá 4

Saint Christopher and Nevis

WILKINS, R.Fisheries AssistantFisheries DivisionDepartment of AgricultureP.O. Box 39Saint Kitts

Saint Lucia

WALTERS, H. (Chairman)Chief Fisheries OfficerFisheries Management UnitMinistry of Agriculture, Lands,

Fisheries and CooperativesManoel StreetCastries

AMBROISE, L.Fisheries Assistant

CHARLES, V.Fisheries Assistant

D'AUVERGNE, C.Fisheries Assistant

FOSSI A.

LAWRENCE, N.Deputy Fisheries Officer

LOUISY, G.Fisheries Diver

JENNINGS CLARK, SarahFisheries Assistant

MATTY, P.Fisheries Assistant

MURRAY, P.Fisheries Bilogist/Assessment

- 17 -

NICHOLS, K. VenezuelaFisheries Biologist

SARVAY, W.

United States Peace Corps volunteer

VITALIS, L.Fisheries Assistant

LA CROIX, M.DirectorFisheries DivisionMinistry of AgricultureSt. Clair CirclePort of Spain

United Kingdom

United States of America

BERRY, F.

.National Marine Fisheries Service75 Virginia Beach DriveMiami FL 33149USA

JUHL, R.International Fisheries CoordinatorNational Marine Fisheries ServiceNOAAUS Department of CommerceP.O. Box 1207Pascagoula, MS 39567

MUNOZ ROURE, O.Executive DirectorCaribbean Fishery Management

CouncilSuite 1108 Banco de Ponce Bldg.Hato Rey,Puerto Rico

REIFSNYDER, D.A.Office of Fisheries AffairsOES/OFA Ru 5806Department of StateWashington, D.C. 20520

DAHER, J.L.Asesor de la Dirección de

FronterasMinisterio de Relaciones

ExterioresEsquina PrincipalCaracas

LAWRENCE, J.President SANTOS VALERO, R.National Association of Asesor de la dirección de

Fisheries Cooperative Societies FronterasP.O. Box 706 Ministerio de RelacionesCastries Exteriores

Esquina PrincipalSpain Caracas

Suriname OBSERVERS FROM MEMBER NATIONSOF FAO NOT MEMBERS OF THE

Trinidad and Tobago COMMISSION

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

MORRIS, K.Senior Fisheries OfficerMinistry of Trade, Industry andAgriculture

Kingstown

ILO

EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY (EEC)

VAN DEPOELE, L.Head of Specialized ServiceDirectorate General for FisheriesCommission of the European

Communities200 rue de la Loi1049 BruxellesBelgique

MCDERMOTT, G.Directorate General forDevelopment

Commission of the EuropeanCommunities

1049 BruxellesBelgique

INTERGOVERNMENTAL OCEANOGRAPHICCOMMISSION (IOC)

YANEZ ARANCIBIA, A.Intergovernmental Oceanographic

Commission (IOC)Sub-Commission IOCARIBEOcean Science and Living

Resources Programae (OSLR-IREP)Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y

LimnologiaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de

MdxicoApartado postal 70-30504510 Mdxico D.F.

- 18 -

CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY Headquarters

GORDON, R.M. FAO Fisheries DepartmentSenior Food Technologist Via delle Terme de CaracallaCaribbean Community Secretariat 00100 Rome

P.O. Box 10827 Italy

GeorgetownGuyäna

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES(OAS)

VERMEIREN, J.C.OAS Project ChiefNatural Resources Management

ProjectCastriesSaint Lucia

CHAKALALL, B.FAO ConsultantArtisanal Fisheries DevelopmentP.O. Box 822TrinidadTrinidad and Tobago

LIMA DOS SANTOS, C.M.Regional Fisheries Officer, (RLAC)c/o FAO RepresentativeP.O. Box 822TrinidadTrinidad and Tobago

DE BOER-ROBAT, F.A.Associate Expert (FAO)Consumer Education17 Keate StreetP.O. Box 822Port of SpainTrinidadTrinidad and Tobago

LINDQUIST, A.DirectorFishery Resources and EnvironmentDivision

CADDY, J.F.Senior Fishery Resources Officer

FAGETTI, EldaSecretary of WECAFC

ORGANIZATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN FILA, M.

STATES (OECS) ChiefFishery Development Planning

LEWIS, V. Service

Director-GeneralOrganization of Eastern Caribbean GUMY, A.

States Fishery Planning OfficerP.O. Box 179Castries SECRETARIAT

Saint LuciaHost Government

FAOLiaison Officer

" Regional Office for Latin Americaand the Caribbean (RLAC) WALTERS, H.

TAPIAS, C. Secretarial AssistanceRegional Fisheries OfficerRLAC CHARLES, BernardineCasilla 10095 PRESIDENT, BernadetteSantiago JOSEPH, ElizabethChile

FAO

Secretary of WECAFC

FAGETTI, Elda

Meetings Officer

POBLETE-DE LA FUENTE, Myrtha

Translators

MARECHAL, J.TEVAR, G.

Interpreters

BENNATON, A.DE GRAUWE, M.DE LANDA, M.-T.DU JARDIN, J.-L.MICHEL, M.B.REYNA, D.RODER, B.ROSSIGNOL, J.ZIELINSKI, M.

Secretarial Assistance

BROWNING, J.DEFENDI, A.-M.MERCADO, E.

- 20 -

APPE'NDIX B

Agenda

Opening of the Session

Adoption of the agenda and arrangements for the Se ssion

Intersessional activities

State of Fisheries in the WECAFC region

Management and de ve lopment of fisheries in the Lesser Antilles

Planning for fisheries de ve lopment in the WECAFC region

Follow-up to the World Fisheries Confe re nce

Coope ration with othe r organizations conce rned with fisheries in theWECAFC are a

Any other matte r

Election of Of fice rs

Date and place of the sixth session

Adoption of the report

WECAFC/85/Inf.1

WECAFC/85/Inf.2

WECAFC/85/Inf.3

WECAFC/85/Inf.4

WECAFC/85/Inf.5

WECAFC/85/Inf.6

WECAFC/85/Inf.7

WECAFC/85/Inf.8

-21 -

APPENDIX C

List of Documents

WECAFC/85/1 Annotated provisional agenda and timetable

WECAFC/85/2 Intersessional activities

WECAFC/85/3 Review of the fisheries situation in the area

WECAFC/85/4 Report of the Third Session of the WECAFC Working Party on FisheryStatistics, Paipa, Colombia, 22-26 October 1984

WECAFC/85/5 Report of the Fourth Session of the WECAFC Working Party on Assessment ofMarine Fishery Resources, Palpa, Colombia, 29 October - 2 November 1984

WECAFC/85/6 New developments in coastal aquaculture in the Caribbean

WECAFC/85/7 Report of the Second Session of the WECAFC Committee for the Developmentand Management of Fisheries in the Lesser Antilles

WECAFC/85/8 Recommendations and conclusions of the Workshop on Fisheries DevelopmentPlanning for the WECAFC region

WECAFC/85/9 Follow-up to the FAO World Conference on Fisheries Management andDe ve lopme nt

WECAFC/85/10 Cooperation with other organizations concerned with fisheries in the area

List of documents

List of delegates and observers

Report of the FAO World Conference on Fisheries Management andDevelopment (Rome , 27 June - 6 July 1984)

FAO activities in the WECAFC area since 1983 and sources of funding forFAO assistance

National reports and selected papers presented at the Fourth Session ofthe WECAFC Working Party on Assessment of Marine Fishery Resources,Palpa, Colombia, 29 October - 2 November 1984

Re port of the Regional Te chnical Seminar on Fishe ry De ve lopme nt

Planning for the Latin America Region, Montevideo, 14-22 February 1985

Projects/activities on fisheries or fishery related aspects sponsoredby organizations/agencies other than FAO

List of WECAFC national correspondents

- 22 -

APPENDIX D

Mexican Proposal for the Establishment of a Regional Information andStatistical Data Centre

Mexico proposes to make use of the infrastructure of the Scientific and HumanisticInformation Centre (CICH) of the Autonomous National University of Mexico to start a datacollection and distribution system for the WECAFC regioa. CICH systematically assemblesinformation on fisheries in Latin America and the Caribbean, summarizes it and sends itto the Aquatic Science and Fisheries Abstract for incorporation in a world informationservice. On the basis of the information available in CICH and of documents andstatistics on fisheries sent by member countries, Mexico would prepare and distribute aperiodical newsletter with bibliographic references and respective summaries. Thisnewsletter would not imply any cost for the WECAFC member countries.

Member countries could obtain a copy of any document listed in the newsletter bysending a request to CICH, paying only the costs of reproduction and dispatch. Thisservice could come into operation immediately.

In a second stage, a Regional Statistical Information Centre could be set up on thebasis of the data available in CICH. For this, experts would be needed to:

integrate the existing data;

advise and assist countries in developing their information systems;

design and operate a Regional Statistical Information System;

prepare the regional statistical newsletter;

calculate the resources needed to implement the project.

- 23 -

APPENDIX E

Report of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Fishe ry Economic and Planning

Not ing that the 1984 FAO World Con fe re nce on Fi she rie s Management and De ve lopme nts t re s se d the importance of fi she rie s de ve lopme nt planning and management in order toimprove national se 1 f -re liance in fi she rie s management and de ve lopme nt in the WECAFCregion , and taking into account the discussions and conclusions of the Workshop onFisherie s De ve lopme nt Planning held in Castrie s , Saint Lucia, in July 1985, as we 11 asthe re comme nda Lion of che Working Party on As se ssme nt of Marine Fi she ry Re source s inaddition to those of the Se cond Se s si on of the Commit tee for the De ve 1 opme nt andManagement of Fishe rie s in . the Le sse r Ant i Ile s , the ad Hoc Working Group re commended thatthe Commission e stablish a subsidiary body on fi she ry economics and planning with thefollowing te rms of re fe re nce :

( i ) To promote an extensive e xchange of ideas and expe rience s regarding the

use fulne ss of fishe rie s de ve lopment planning as a tool for nationaladministrations in promoting sustained fishe rie s economics , planning and

de ve lopme nt .

( ) To review pe riodically the fishe rie s de ve lopment planning in the WECAFC region.

( ) To advise the countries in the region in the formulation of the ir mid-te rm and1 ong- te rm plans , through application of an adequate planning procedure

( formulation of diagnosis and forecasting formulation of policie s , plans ,

programme s and proje cts ).

To advise or de fine ins t rume nts and ways of plan implementation.

To review the training needs of the countries in the WECAFC region on fishe rye conomics and planning.

( vi ) To e ncourage education and training in fi she ry economics and planning through theestablishment or improve me nt of national and regional institutions and seminars .

( vi i ) To establish in formation systems on basic re qui reme nts for de ve lopment planning

and management.

( vi ) To consi de r the re comme ndations of the Working Party on Fi she rie s Statistics andon As se s sme nt of Marine Fi she ry Re source s insofar as they are relevant tofi she rie s de ve lopment planning .

(ix) The pr °posed subsidiary body on economics and planning shall submit a report onits inte r-se ssional act ivit ie s for conside ration by the Commission.

- 24 -

APPENDIX F

Main decisions and recommendations for actionof the Fifth Session

of the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission

ParagraphAgenda Item 3 - Intersessional activities

For attention of FAO and Governments

Permit the attendance of recognized experts from WECAFC member countries 14

other than those invited by FAO to the Working Parties on Fisheries Statistics and onAssessment of Marine Fisheries Resources, provided that theirGovernments/Institutions finance such attendance.

Note the offer by France and Saint Christopher and Nevis to provide and share 16

information on their experience with Fish Aggregating Devices (FAD's).

Use the post title, followed by the name of the officer nominated by 17Governments as National Correspondents and notify the Secretariat on any change.

For attention of Governments

1. Note the offer by France to provide the report on ciguatera research in the 18

Lesser Antilles sub-region and by USA to provide satellite data on water colour anddepth of the Caribbean sea.

For attention of FAO

Schedule future meetings of the Working Party on Assessment of Marine 14Fisheries Resources whenever possible concurrently with the annual meeting of theGulf and Caribbean Fishery Institute (GCFI).

Look into the feasibility of financing the publication of the FAO Species 15Identification Sheets for the Western Central Atlantic (Fishing Area 31) through saleof this document.

Use the expertise available in the region for future FAO activities. 20

For attention of FAO/IOC

1. Continue and expand present cooperation particularly in activities related with 18 and 20fish mass mortality in the region.

Agenda Item 4 - State of fisheries in the WECAFC region


Explore and expedite mechanisms for expanding intra-regional trade of fish 25products.

Use the existing technology to increase utilization of shrimp by-catch. 26

Note the offer by a) USA to use the R/V Oregon II in order to repeat the 1960 30, 31surveys and determine long term changes in fish and shrimp abundance, b) Colombia of and 32a research vessel for cooperative fishery research surveys and c) France to traininterested persons of WECAFC countries in acoustic techniques and gear technologyduring its research cruises.

4. Promote the collection of data un fishing effort, size-frequencies of catch, 40 and 41operational costs and revenues, and eliminate sources of systematic errors and biasesin data collection systems and collect information on conversion factors for stockassessment purposes.

- 25 -

Note the offer by USA for training on the use of micro-computers. 48

Support the intersessional activities suggested by the Working Parties on FisheryStatistics and on Assessment of Marine Fishery Resources to be carried out by thenational experts.

7. Note the offers by France, Mexico and Korea (Rep. of) to share their experienceand training to provice in different aspects of aquaculture.


1. Prepare a discussion paper on ecological zones and/or, stock units of the region,for coastal and oceanic pelagic species.

55

28

Provide a standard format for collection of statistical data on fishing operations. 40

Develop and provide micro-computer programmes for stock assessment and 42analysis of fishery statistics.

Explore the possibility of holding training courses on quality control of fisheries 45, 47products, on statistical data collection and analysis through the TCDC mechanism, andon the use of micro-computers for compiling fisheries statistical data.

Publish the report of the training course on stock assessment held in Isla Mujeres 46(1981) and distribute when available the report of the FAO/DANIDA training course onthe same subject held in Denmark (1984) .

Note the offer by Bermuda (U.K.), Brazil and Panama to host the meetings ofboth Working Parties.

Initiate a study on socio-economic aspects on shrimp farming and shrimpcatching activities.

For attention of Governments and FAO

1. Note the offer by Mexico to develop a Regional Information and Statistical Data 39 andCenter. Appendix D

For attention of CARICOM

Inform WECAFC member countries on further development of the proposed 34CIDA/CARICOM survey of living marine resources in the Caribbean region.

Coordinate and disseminate information on sewage pollution problems in the 38region.

Agenda Item 5 - Management and development of fisheriesin the Lesser Antilles


Support the proposal by USA to host a workshop in Puerto Rico on migratory 73c and dpelagic resources and to cooperate in its organization and input preparation throughthe outposted Fisheries Resources Officer.

Note the main priorities identified by the Lesser Antilles Committee for future 74work in the sub-region.

61, 63and 65

54

71

- 26 -

For attention of Governments of Lesser Antilles countries

Support the proposal by France to hold two informal meetings of fishery officers 77during the intersessional period in Martinique (November 1985), at the occasion of theGCFI annual meeting.

Coordinate the collection and compilation of statistical data at a sub-regional 79leve i.

Note the offer by USA to provide the management plans for commercial species 80developed by their Regional Fisheries Management Council.

Agenda Item 6 - Planning of fisheries development in the WECAFC region


Integrate planning for fishery management and development in national planning 852systems.

Include a fisheries component in University courses on economics. 85e


i. Continue its support activities on fisheries economics and planning and prepare 85band distribute training material on these subjects.

2. Look into the feasibility of organizing a Workshop on Fishery Development 85cPlanning for English speaking countries of the region during 1987.

Agenda Item 7 - Follow-up to the World Fisheries Conference


Undertake further consultation with donors in order to remedy the present 92imbalance in fishery projects/programmes among the regions, at present unfavourablefor the WECAFC region.

Give priority to the implementation of those aspects of the Programme of 94Actions concerned with better conditions for fishermen and their families.

Agenda Item B - Cooperation with other organizations concerned with fisheries

Attention of FAO

1. Continue the cooperative activities carried out by FAO with other organizations 99concerned with fisheries in the region.

Agenda Item 9 - Any other matters


Strengthen cooperation among countries of the region. 103

Support the activities of Western Atlantic Turtle Symposium (WATS II) in 108documenting extend of nesting and harvest of sea turtles and their eggs.


Continue the search for the financial support needed to establish the proposedTechnical Support Unit for the Lesser Antilles Committee and/or the re-establishmentof the WECAFC project.

Note the recommendation of the ad hoc Working Group on Fishery Economicsand Planning.

- 27 -

102

104 andAppendix E

Agenda Item 10 - Election of officers

For action of FAO

1. Note the election of Mexico to act as Chairman and of France and St. Lucia as 109Vice-Chairmen.

Agenda Item 11 - Date and place of the sixth session

For action of FAO

1. Note the offer of Mexico to host the sixth session. 110

M-40ISBN 92-5-102370-0