Abstract

Caribbean coastal marine ecosystems have been characterized as an ecocatastrophe in the making. Serial overfishing and widespread habitat loss are the twin catastrophes confronting Caribbean fisheries management today. Management response to this crisis is reflected in the Caribbean Fishery Management Council’s initiatives to comply with the statutory requirements concerning overfishing and habitat. The U.S. Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act defines sustainability according to the standard of maximum sustainable yield (MSY), a theory aimed at maximizing commercial production rather than preserving ecological integrity. However, conventional stock assessment models have not proven capable of providing robust management advice about the status of commercially exploited species relative to conventional MSY criteria, due to data limitations and the complexity of reef ecosystems. Citing the difficulties of using conventional stock assessment approaches relative to overfishing criteria, the 1991 Shallow Water Reef Fish assessment workshop recommended using alternative methods to address overfished and at-risk species, e.g., establish marine reserves to provide refuges from fishing. To date, however, the designation of a few seasonal spawning area closures has not been adequate to stop resource decline and has not afforded protection to vast areas of essential coral and associated habitats. Recent amendments to the fishery management plans will provide incremental improvements in protection to existing closures, but will not provide comprehensive habitat protection or address other ecosystem considerations traditionally ignored under MSY-based management. Although an “ecosystem-based” approach to management of marine resources and habitats is implicit in some measures recently adopted by the CFMC, there is no explicit statement of purpose or clear plan of action to implement ecosystem-based management as such. The strengths and weaknesses of these management responses highlight critical flashpoints in the broader debate over how to achieve sustainable resource use while preserving the ecological integrity of over-exploited and imperiled coral reef ecosystems.

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