Bycatch, marine life and the future of fisheries in the CLME+ region
What Is Bycatch and Why Does It Matter for the Caribbean?
Not everything caught in a fishing operation is meant to be caught. Alongside target species, fishing gear can also unintentionally capture other marine animals. This is known as bycatch, and it is one of the clearest ways to see how fishing can affect far more than the catch that is brought to shore.
Bycatch can affect non-target fish such as juveniles of commercially important species, as well as sharks, rays and other Endangered, Threatened and Protected (ETP) species. During fishing operations, these unintentionally captured animals either become incidental catch where they are kept, or discards, where the dead are dumped and the living are released — but not always without injury, and often with a reduced chance of survival. Lost or abandoned fishing gear can also continue trapping marine animals long after it leaves a fisher's hands, a problem known as ghost fishing, which adds yet another layer to the challenge.
Losses increase pressure on Caribbean marine ecosystems.
These losses add to the acute strain on Caribbean fisheries and marine ecosystems already affected by overfishing, habitat degradation and pollution, while climate change places further stress on coastal and marine habitats. These non-target species all play a role in ecosystem health, with ETP species such as sharks and rays helping to maintain ecological balance as predators, while marine turtles support the health of habitats such as coral reefs and seagrass ecosystems. When these species are lost or repeatedly harmed through fishing interactions, it can destabilize marine ecosystems and the fisheries that exist within them, ultimately affecting the long-term resilience of food security, livelihoods and human wellbeing in the region.
Part of what makes this problem difficult to solve is that it is not simply a matter of fishers choosing to do the wrong thing. Many fishers are simply unaware that better alternatives exist, and where awareness is growing, there is often little practical support or incentive to make a change. Add to that limited enforcement of existing rules and gaps in the information needed to guide good decisions, and it becomes clear that addressing bycatch requires more than just new technology — it requires a shift in knowledge, policy and community practice together.
REBYC-III CLME+ is testing practical ways to reduce harmful interactions.
Led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and executed by The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Faculty of Food and Agriculture, the four-year REBYC-III CLME+ project is responding to this challenge in the participating countries Barbados, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Through practical interventions such as gear modification, alternative fishing methods, deterrent devices, and improved handling and release practices for dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and rays, the project seeks to not only reduce the chances of vulnerable animals being caught in the first place, but also improve their chances of survival when interactions do happen.
The project also works to strengthen the policies and legal frameworks that govern fishing in each participating country, while developing incentives and strategies to encourage more responsible fishing practices across fishing communities. The goal is not to place the burden of change on individual fishers alone, but to build the kind of broad, shared understanding — among fishers, the fishing industry and the fish-buying public — that makes lasting change possible.
The scale of the effort reflects the scale of what is at stake. The project aims to reduce unintended catch across the region by more than 37,000 tonnes, and to bring improved fishing practices to approximately 5.3 million hectares within the Exclusive Economic Zones of the participating countries.
A healthier ocean for the long term.
Ultimately, reducing bycatch is about more than protecting individual animals. It is about safeguarding the health and resilience of an entire marine region — one that millions of people in the Caribbean depend on for food, income and way of life. A future where fishing is more selective, marine ecosystems are better protected, and coastal communities continue to thrive is what REBYC-III CLME+ is working toward, contributing to the region's blue economy and its commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015.
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