4250

Email from Caricom Secretariat as of 11/25/2013:"In respect of the Caribbean Community Agreement on Cooperation in the Development and Management of Living Resources of the Exclusive Economic Zone, it does not appear this was concluded or opened for signature. Since the time of the last draft (1991), the Treaty of Chaguaramas was revised, which includes an Article on Fisheries Policy (Article 60) and the Community has established the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM)." "The draft CFZ Agreement (CFZA) had among its objectives, the development of Member States’ capacity to harvest the resources of the CFZ and fishery waters in a viable and sustainable basis; the coordination of the efforts of Member States in the exploration, exploitation and management of the CFZ and fishery waters within the provisions of UNCLOS; and to ensure that (i) there were management controls over the level of exploitation, (ii) control measures are put in place to prevent unauthorised fishing and related activities, (iii) traditional artisanal fishing is not prejudiced, and (iv) mechanisms are put in place for the determination and collection of any revenue that may arise from the implementation of the agreement. The promotion of the processing, manufacturing and marketing of fish and fish products was also among the stated objectives of the CFZA. The draft CFZ Agreement provided for a Unit with responsibilities for the coordination of the policy guidelines issued by the Authority, and at the request of states parties, the policy of the parties in relation to the exploration, exploitation and management of the CFZ. These responsibilities included among others recommending criteria for the grant of any access to fishing in the CFZ by states parties and, in consultation with parties, criteria for access by non- OECS member states vessels; to promote and coordinate marine scientific research, monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) activities, collection, analysis evaluation and distribution of all data; to formulate human resource development programmes; and, to prepare, in consultation with parties, a management plan for the CFZ and fishery waters. The Unit was to be given the responsibility to require the preparation and submission of national management plans, and to 7 coordinate implementation of national management plans. The Unit was also charged with assisting parties in development of national management plans. The Draft Agreement also gave the Unit the right to “institute such administrative and financial steps as are necessary for the efficient undertaking of its (management) functions” with the approval of the Authority. The CFZA outlined general qualifications for access and spoke to the agreement to grant preferential access to Member States that were not parties, with the Unit recommending criteria in accordance with which preferential access may be granted. The agreement was to provide for “harmonised minimum conditions for the grant of fishing access by fishing vessels other than fishing vessels of OECS and CARICOM States” (OECS, 1993). A number of factors militated against accepting one global OECS CFZ Agreement, the OECS Authority directed that “since the OECS region is comprised of four (geographic) zones, territories sharing the same zone should first establish a common fishing zone among themselves with a view to the gradual merging of the zones in the entire OECS region”. To date, however, this directive has not been carried out (Murray, 2004)." http://www.crfm.int/~uwohxjxf/images/documents/Discussion_paper_-_Implementing_Mechanism_for_the_Common_Fisheries_Policy_and_Regime.pdf