ABSTRACT
The Wider Caribbean is dominated by small-scale fisheries that are critical for supporting coastal community livelihoods and food security. Fisheries for high-value species, such as tuna, conch, lobster and shrimp, also contribute significantly to trade and foreign exchange earnings, and have important links with tourism. The harvest and post-harvest sectors employ hundreds of thousands of people across the region and are especially important as a social safety net in Caribbean SIDS where national economies are particularly vulnerable to external shocks. However, fisheries across the region are poorly recognised for their substantial contributions to social and economic growth and are generally inadequately managed for sustainability, with the result that many fishery stocks are damaged by over-fishing and producing yields below their potential. Furthermore, critical fish habitats are also under threat from multiple stressors including marine pollution, coastal and marine construction and climate change. The prospects for fisheries being an important component of a Blue Economy are good, but only if properly valued, sustainably managed and able to attract new investments in developing the value chain.
