Nassau, Bahamas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEAFOOD PROCESSORS AND FISHERMEN DISCUSS SUSTAINABLE LOBSTER FISHERY
A major campaign involving education, fisheries monitoring and a stock assessment of lobsters
has begun with combined efforts coming from the Department of Marine Resources (DMR), the
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Bahamas Marine Exporters Association (BMEA), who
represent the processors and the fishermen in this endeavor.
The Lobster or crawfish fishery is the most important marine resource in the Bahamas with, on
average, 5.2 million pounds of lobster tails valued at $70 million exported annually (averaged
over the last 4 years).
Many fisheries around the world are regarded as in danger of collapse from overfishing,
resulting in some environmental groups calling for consumers to avoid eating seafood. The
fishing and seafood processing industry of The Bahamas depends on a global taste for Bahamian
lobster tails, and Bahamians are looking to keep the lobster on the menu.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) scientists recently met with personnel from the Department of
Marine Resources (DMR) along with stakeholders including seafood distributors, processors,
and environmental groups such as The Nature Conservancy to outline the steps for certifying
the Bahamian Lobster Fishery as a “Certified Sustainable Fishery”. If this process is successful,
The Bahamas would have the first “Certified Sustainable Fishery” in the Caribbean, and this
certification will assure the broadest possible market for Bahamian lobster tails exported and
served in environmentally‐friendly restaurants and resorts worldwide. Certification by the
Marine Stewardship Council MSC would also assist in providing added objective assurance to
The Bahamas that its lobster fishery is well managed
The Marine Stewardship Council is the world’s leading environmental certification programme
for wild‐caught fisheries. Certifications to the MSC standards are voluntary and open to any
fishery around the world. The programme was built on the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing. The certification
process will call for unprecedented collaboration between the Government of The Bahamas
(Department of Marine Resources), commercial fishermen, environmental groups, marine
scientists, and seafood processors. The MSC certification will put the Bahamian lobster product
in position for a sustainable future, protect the fisheries resource from over‐fishing, aid in
halting illegal and out of season fishing.
A partnership between scientists from the WWF and the Department of Marine Resources
(DMR) resulted in the conduct of a preliminary assessment of the Bahamian Spiny Lobster
Fishery to evaluate its sustainability.
The Department of Marine Resources held the first meeting after the preliminary studies in
October 2009, with subsequent monthly follow‐up meetings to begin the certification process.
The initial meeting hosted by the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) and the World
Wildlife Fund (WWF) on October 6th and 7th 2009, outlined the need for The Bahamas to
address the certification process for the Lobster fishery to meet sustainable fisheries standards.
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification process includes an assessment of key
components of the fisheries management, and a majority of the key components required to
receive a “pass” for certification. The Fishery will be re‐assessed every three to five years to
maintain the “sustainable fishery” certification. Many of the major seafood buyers globally will
require this MSC certification; eventually there is likely to be a limited market for uncertified
lobster tails. Large merchandisers in markets where Bahamian crawfish tails are now traded
have already announced that they will require such certifications of the seafood they sell.
Subsequent meetings held in New Providence and Abaco addressed issues such as Illegal,
Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing issues, poaching and out of season catch, lionfish
predation, reef preservation, proper governmental recordkeeping, enforcement issues and
foreign fishermen in Bahamian territorial waters. These issues and others are all covered under
the MSC certification umbrella and are line items that must be addressed prior to the Bahamian
Lobster Fishery receiving any level of international recognition and certification.
“I never thought I would have to contemplate the Bahamas without a sustainable lobster
fishery, but I am seeing it come to pass right before my eyes. We need to preserve this
resource for generations to come. That is why I am supporting this certification effort with
every asset I have at my disposal” said Glenn Pritchard, a forty‐year veteran of the lobster
industry and President of Tropic Seafood. Pritchard is joined by Mia Isaacs of Heritage Seafood
and President of the BMEA who echoed his sentiments and went on to say “MSC certification is
essential to preserving the livelihood of thousands of Bahamians as well as securing our
position in the world marketplace. The fact of the matter is that MSC certification will aid the
entire Bahamian economy, not just the fisheries industry. A satisfactory grade from MSC should
compliment our eco‐tourism efforts from restaurants to scuba diving excursions. Everyone will
benefit.”
The BMEA may be contacted bmeassociation@gmail.com.