Sustainable Management of the Shared Living Marine Resources of the Caribbean Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (CLME) and Adjacent Regions Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem Regional Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis - DRAFT - May 2011 Table of contents 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................... 8 2. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 16 2.1. BACKGROUND TO THE CLME REGION ............................................................................ 16 2.1.1. Global and regional significance of the CLME .............................................................. 16 2.1.2. Purpose of the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis ...................................................... 18 2.2. STRUCTURE OF REGIONAL TDA ...................................................................................... 19 3. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................. 20 3.1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 20 3.2. SUMMARY OF THE PRELIMINARY TDA (2007) ................................................................ 20 3.3. APPROACH ADOPTED FOR THE CLME TDA .................................................................... 21 3.3.1. Background ..................................................................................................................... 21 3.3.2. Ecosystem approach to fisheries assessment and management ..................................... 21 3.4. GOVERNANCE AND STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS ................................................................. 24 3.5. IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF TRANSBOUNDARY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND ROOT CAUSES ............................................................................................................................ 24 4. REGIONAL ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................... 26 4.1. CLME CLIMATE AND OCEANOGRAPHY ............................................................................ 26 4.2. CLME ECOLOGICAL FEATURES ....................................................................................... 27 4.3. SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUND ..................................................................................... 29 4.3.1. Fishing industry in the CLME ........................................................................................ 32 4.3.2. Aquaculture .................................................................................................................... 36 4.3.3. Tourism in the CLME region .......................................................................................... 37 4.3.4. Land-based coastal activities ......................................................................................... 38 4.3.5. Offshore energy operations ............................................................................................ 38 4.3.6. Marine transport operations........................................................................................... 38 4.4. GOVERNANCE ANALYSIS ................................................................................................. 40 4.4.1. Regional Governance ..................................................................................................... 40 4.4.2. Stakeholders in governance ............................................................................................ 44 5. THE CLME FISHERIES ECOSYSTEMS .......................................................................... 49 5.1. REEF ECOSYSTEM ............................................................................................................ 50 5.1.1. Introduction to the Reef Ecosystem ................................................................................ 50 5.1.2. Reef Ecosystem services ................................................................................................. 52 5.1.3. Description of the current reef fisheries ......................................................................... 54 5.1.4. Analysis of the Current Situation .................................................................................... 56 5.1.5. Governance in the Reef Fisheries Ecosystem ................................................................. 65 5.2. PELAGIC ECOSYSTEM ...................................................................................................... 66 5.2.1. Introduction to the Pelagic Ecosystem ........................................................................... 66 5.2.2. Pelagic ecosystem services ............................................................................................. 67 5.2.3. Description of the current pelagic fisheries ................................................................... 68 5.2.4. Analysis of the current issues ......................................................................................... 72 Page 1 5.2.5. Governance in the Pelagic Fisheries Ecosystem ............................................................ 79 5.3. CONTINENTAL SHELF ECOSYSTEM .................................................................................. 80 5.3.1. Introduction to the Continental Shelf Ecosystem ............................................................ 80 5.3.2. Services provided by coastal ecosystems in the CSE ...................................................... 83 5.3.3. Description of shrimp fisheries in Jamaica, Panama, Nicaragua and Belize ................ 85 5.3.4. Analysis of the current issues situation........................................................................... 85 5.3.5. Governance in the Continental Shelf Fisheries Ecosystem ............................................ 90 5.4. KNOWLEDGE GAPS IN THE CLME FISHERIES ECOSYSTEMS ............................................. 91 5.4.1. Unsustainable fisheries ................................................................................................... 91 5.4.2. Habitat degradation........................................................................................................ 92 5.4.3. Pollution ......................................................................................................................... 92 5.5. COMMON AND CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES AFFECTING THE CLME FISHERIES ECOSYSTEMS . 92 5.5.1. Synthesis of common issues ............................................................................................ 93 5.5.2. Cross-cutting issues ........................................................................................................ 95 6. ANALYSIS OF ROOT CAUSES OF CONCERNS AND ISSUES ................................... 98 6.1. KEY TRANSBOUNDARY ISSUE I: UNSUSTAINABLE FISHERIES ........................................ 101 6.2. KEY TRANSBOUNDARY ISSUE II: HABITAT DEGRADATION ............................................ 102 6.3. KEY TRANSBOUNDARY ISSUE III: POLLUTION ............................................................... 104 7. PRIORITY ACTIONS FOR THE STRATEGIC ACTION PROGRAMME ................ 106 7.1. CROSS-CUTTING GOVERNANCE ACTIONS ....................................................................... 106 7.1.1. Advances in ocean governance to be considered ......................................................... 108 7.2. POTENTIAL ACTIONS TO PROTECT REEF AND PELAGIC FISHERY ECOSYSTEM ................ 109 7.2.1. Unsustainable fisheries ................................................................................................. 109 7.2.2. Habitat degradation...................................................................................................... 109 7.2.3. Pollution ....................................................................................................................... 110 7.3. POTENTIAL ACTIONS TO PROTECT CONTINENTAL SHELF FISHERY ECOSYSTEM ............. 110 7.3.1. Unsustainable fisheries ................................................................................................. 111 7.3.2. Habitat degradation...................................................................................................... 112 7.3.3. Pollution ....................................................................................................................... 112 Annexes References / bibliography Page 2 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Selected socio-economic data for the CLME region: Total population, GDP/Capita, Human Development Index), contribution of fisheries and aquaculture to national GDP, and travel and tourism to national GDP of CLME countries ......................................... 30 Table 2. Socio-economic importance of the fisheries sector in CLME countries ........................ 34 Table 3. Aquaculture production (tonnes) in Central America ..................................................... 36 Table 4. Selected key institutional players in the CLME project area at the local, national, sub- regional/regional and international levels identified in the PDF-B phase of the project based on their potential role in CLME Project activities (Source: Parsram (2007) ....... 46 Table 5. Ecosystem services provided by coastal ecosystems ...................................................... 52 Table 6. Annual economic contribution (million US$) of ecosystem services