Abstract

Fishing regulations in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), have steadily developed into a complicated set of legal documents reflecting decades of successive amendments. The legislation currently addresses over 20 different species or species groups, 5 closed seasons, multiple fishing gears, numerous licensing requirements, and almost 30 separate no-take zones. Throughout this history, there has never been any easily accessible summary, and only in the last decade has the legislation been freely available. As a consequence, without a comprehensive understanding of the regulations, small-scale fishers have become further marginalized from decision-making processes. This exclusion can be particularly critical for the significant proportion of immigrant, non-English speaking fishers and fish workers, and for those who struggle with literacy. To address this problem, FisherFolkFirst (non-profit organization), in collaboration with the TCI Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources Management, developed, distributed, and presented print, video, and online educational materials tailor-made for fisherfolk. These resources highlight the ecological reasons behind the fishing regulations in English, Spanish, and Creole, catering to all educational backgrounds and level of literacy. The project employed a co-design rather than top-down approach that engaged fishers, fish workers, seafood processors, and enforcement officers in all steps of the process, including ideation, design, translation, narration, and distribution. In addition to providing useful, practical resources, other key aims were to develop ocean literacy, foster stewardship, empower fisherfolk of all genders and nationalities, and to start building the foundations from which they can advocate for their interests.