Fisheries Resource Protection
Region: Caribbean
Country: Bahamas
Date: 2000
Funded By: Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF)
The Government of the Bahamas, recognising the importance of the three biggest fish stocks in the Bahamas; spiny lobster, conch and Nassau Grouper, has initiated the development of a system of fisheries reserves throughout the country, allocating six areas for protection in the first two years. MEP provided BREEF and the Department of fisheries with technical assistance to plan these areas and develop a framework within which these developments can be integrated at the community level. The six sites have since been approved and now have national protected status and the legal protection that goes with it.