Saving Seafood

Caribbean Fishery Management: Voices from the Islands

September 1, 2026 — The federal waters surrounding Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are known for their vibrant fishing heritage, stunning scenery, and biodiverse coral reef ecosystems. Each island community’s unique connection to the sea is shaped by distinct cultural traditions.

Sustainable fisheries management requires carefully balancing conservation goals and local needs. In recent years, the U.S. Caribbean region has made significant strides in advancing fishery sustainability by prioritizing vital local collaborations.

A Distinctive Fishery Management Region

The 1976 Magnuson-Stevens Act established the Caribbean Fishery Management Council as one of eight regional fishery management councils. It manages the federal waters that surround the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which abut multiple international boundaries. The Caribbean Council has the distinction of managing more species than any other council in the nation.

At first, the Caribbean Council followed the strategy of other regions by developing management measures that applied uniformly throughout the region. In 1985, that process culminated in the region’s first two fishery management plans: One for Caribbean spiny lobster, and another for the 64 most commonly landed shallow-water reef fish species. In the 1990s, the Council added plans for queen conch and aquarium species, and amended the reef fish plan to include deep-water reef fish.

Both single-species stock assessments and region-wide management plans were hampered by data limitations. Fishery-dependent data—which is based on fishermen reporting landings or port agents conducting surveys—was spotty. Most of the fish and shellfish harvest in the region came from small-scale commercial, recreational, and subsistence fishermen, making detailed data difficult to obtain. Fishery-independent data—based on scientific surveys—was also sparse due to limited resources to study a daunting number of species. In addition, the data that were available were more likely to be from Puerto Rico than the U.S. Virgin Islands, obscuring key differences across communities.

These data limitations resulted in uncertainty about how fish populations were faring and created a challenging position for managers tasked with understanding and classifying the status of stocks.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on an Application for an Exempted Fishing Permit to Collect Deep-water Reef Fish in U.S. Caribbean Federal Waters

July 19, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Key Message:

NOAA Fisheries is accepting comments on an application for an exempted fishing permit from NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Fisheries Science Center Panama City, Florida Laboratory.  The objectives of this project are to (1) use underwater video to collect size and abundance data and describe benthic habitats of deep-water reef fish species off the western, northeastern, and southeastern coasts of Puerto Rico and (2) collect biological samples to determine reproductive cycles, growth estimates, and the age and size at sexual maturation of commercially important deep-water snapper species.

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council has ranked investigations into deep-water snapper fishing at the highest priority level for deep-water research in their region.  The applicant is currently authorized to conduct similar deep-water snapper research under an exempted fishing permit issued on July 30, 2020, which is valid through August 1, 2021.

Project Description:

  • Under this exempted fishing permit, Science Center staff and contracted commercial fishers would deploy four vertical lines per site: one to collect a water sample at depth, one with an underwater video camera to record deep-water species and habitats at depth, and two fishing lines with 9 hooks each to catch the targeted deep-water snappers (vertical fishing line).
  • Targeted species include black, blackfin, cardinal, queen, silk, and wenchman snappers.  Non-targeted species expected to be incidentally caught include vermilion snapper and black, red, tiger, yellowfin, misty, yellowedge, and red hind groupers.
  • Project activities would be conducted from August 1, 2021 through August 1, 2023.
  • Sampling would occur along the western, northeastern, and southeastern coasts of Puerto Rico at depths of 328 – 2,133 feet (100 – 650 meters).
  • A maximum of 45 fishing trips would be conducted per coast, per year.  Approximately, 40 of the trips each year would be in federal waters and the remaining 95 trips in state waters.

NOAA Fisheries finds this application warrants further consideration, and is seeking public comment on the application.  A final decision on issuance of the permit will depend on NOAA Fisheries’ review of public comments received, the Caribbean Fishery Management Council’s recommendations, consultations with the affected states and the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as a determination that it is consistent with all applicable laws.

How to Comment on the Application:

The comment period is open now through July 30, 2021.  You may submit comments by electronic submission or by postal mail.  Comments sent by any other method (such as e-mail), to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered by NOAA Fisheries.

Application information:  https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/commercial-fishing/noaa-nmfs-panama-city-lab-2021

Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the e-Rulemaking portal.

  1. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter “NOAA-NMFS-2021-0058” in the Search box.
  2. Click the “Comment” icon, complete the required fields.
  3. Enter or attach your comments.

Mail:  Submit written comments to Sarah Stephenson, NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.

Fisheries Councils Express Concern Over Marine Monuments in Letter to President Trump

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — March 24, 2017 — The Council Coordination Committee (CCC), comprised of representatives from the eight regional fisheries management councils, wrote to President Trump this month expressing its concern with the designation of marine national monuments under the Antiquities Act, and explaining how monuments have already adversely impacted commercial fishing activity.

“Designations of marine national monuments that prohibit fishing have disrupted the ability of the Councils to manage fisheries throughout their range as required by [the Magnuson-Stevens Act] and in an ecosystem-based manner,” the Committee wrote. “Our experience with marine monument designations to date is that they are counterproductive to domestic fishery goals, as they have displaced and concentrated U.S. fishing effort into less productive fishing grounds and increased dependency on foreign fisheries that are not as sustainably managed as United States fisheries.”

The Committee also reiterated its support for regional fisheries management, noting that through the Council process over 1,000 individual spatial habitat and fisheries conservation measures have been implemented, protecting more than 72 percent of U.S. ocean waters.

“The Councils use a public process, in a transparent and inclusive manner, and rely on the best scientific information available as required by the MSA,” the Committee wrote.

Read the full letter here