Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Program Cooperative Agreement No. AID-OAA-A14-00064 Rapid Fishery Sector Assessment of the Jamaican Seascape Submitted by Kimberly Baldwin and Robert Mahon, November 2015 This report is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of The Nature Conservancy and its partners (CaribSave, CEBSE, FOPROBIM, CCAM, and SusGren) and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. Baldwin, K. and R. Mahon. 2015. Rapid Fishery Sector Assessment of the Jamaican Seascape Contents Summary ....................................................................................................................................................... v Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. v Ecosystems and resources ........................................................................................................................ v Fishing industry ....................................................................................................................................... vii Fisheries ecosystem management ......................................................................................................... viii Next steps ................................................................................................................................................. x 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background of CMBP .................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Purpose and scope of this report .................................................................................................. 1 2 Fisheries and ecosystems ...................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Fishery ecosystems ....................................................................................................................... 3 2.1.1 Inshore fishery ecosystems: South Shelf .............................................................................. 4 2.1.2 Offshore ecosystems: Pedro Bank ........................................................................................ 7 2.1.3 Sensitive marine ecosystems ................................................................................................ 9 2.2 Resource types and status .......................................................................................................... 10 2.2.1 Reef fishes ........................................................................................................................... 10 2.2.2 Lobster ................................................................................................................................ 14 2.2.3 Conch .................................................................................................................................. 16 2.2.4 Small coastal pelagics .......................................................................................................... 18 2.2.5 Large pelagics ...................................................................................................................... 19 2.2.6 Shrimp ................................................................................................................................. 20 2.2.7 Sea cucumbers .................................................................................................................... 21 2.2.8 Sharks and rays ................................................................................................................... 21 2.3 Biodiversity issues ....................................................................................................................... 22 2.3.1 Lionfish ................................................................................................................................ 22 2.3.2 Sea turtles ........................................................................................................................... 22 2.3.3 Manatees ............................................................................................................................ 23 2.3.4 Cetaceans (whales and dolphins) ........................................................................................ 24 2.3.5 Seabirds ............................................................................................................................... 24 2.4 Pedro Bank social and environmental issues .............................................................................. 26 3 Harvest sector (including recreational) ............................................................................................... 28 3.1 Fishing fleet and gear .................................................................................................................. 28 3.2 Fishers ......................................................................................................................................... 30 3.3 Landing sites and infrastructure ................................................................................................. 33 ii Baldwin, K. and R. Mahon. 2015. Rapid Fishery Sector Assessment of the Jamaican Seascape 4 Post-harvest sector ............................................................................................................................. 36 4.1 Distribution of fishery products .................................................................................................. 37 4.2 Processing ................................................................................................................................... 38 4.3 Exports ........................................................................................................................................ 38 4.4 Support services .......................................................................................................................... 39 4.4.1 Boat building ....................................................................................................................... 39 4.4.2 Gear, fuel, and equipment suppliers .................................................................................. 39 5 Institutional and policy support of fisheries and fisheries ecosystems .............................................. 39 5.1 Fisheries legal and policy framework .......................................................................................... 39 5.1.1 Fisheries policy and legislation ........................................................................................... 39 5.1.2 Other key legislation ........................................................................................................... 41 5.1.3 Legal basis for place-based protection of natural resources .............................................. 41 5.2 Fisheries and conservation regulations and enforcement ......................................................... 42 5.2.1 Regulations .......................................................................................................................... 42 5.2.2 Enforcement........................................................................................................................ 44 5.3 Related national policy and legislation ....................................................................................... 45 5.3.1 Vision 2030 Jamaica ............................................................................................................ 45 5.3.2 National Policy on Ocean and Coastal Zone Management ................................................. 45 5.3.3 National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) .................................................... 46 5.3.4 Protected Areas System Master Plan (PASMP) ................................................................... 47 5.3.5 Tourism Master Plan ........................................................................................................... 48 5.3.6 Climate Change Policy Framework and Action Plan ........................................................... 49 5.3.7 Dolphin policy ..................................................................................................................... 49 5.4 Intersectoral linkages at the national level ................................................................................. 50 5.4.1 The National Council for Oceans and Coastal Zone Management (NCOCZM) ................... 50 5.4.2 The Protected Areas Committee (PAC) ............................................................................... 52 5.4.3 The Fisheries Advisory Council (FAC) .................................................................................. 52 5.4.4 Interministerial Committee for the Pedro Cays .................................................................. 53 5.4.5 Jamaica Fish Sanctuary Network (JFSN) .............................................................................. 53 5.4.6 South West Friendly Fisheries Alliance (SWFFA) ................................................................ 53 5.4.7 PASMP ................................................................................................................................