CRFM Continental Shelf Fisheries Working Group and EU-funded FISH4ACP initiative to collaborate on Atlantic seabob assessment

A technical working group of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM)—the Continental Shelf Fisheries Working Group (CSWG)—will collaborate with the European Union-funded FISH4ACP project, private sector processors, and the Seabob Working Groups of Guyana and Suriname to convene a joint assessment workshop in Guyana from 11-15 March 2024.

The upcoming assessment of the seabob, a short-lived shallow water shrimp found in the Western Central Atlantic, will cover the Northern Brazilian Shelf. The assessment aims to review and validate the most recent scientific valuations of the Atlantic seabob fisheries of Suriname and Guyana. The results will be shared with industrial and artisanal stakeholders from Guyana and Suriname for their input during the last two days of the workshop.

During the workshop, regional and international technical experts will propose harvest control rules (HCRs) and the related fisheries management plans, taking into account compliance with Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification requirements. Both the seabob fisheries in Guyana and Suriname are MSC certified; Suriname’s fishery was first certified in 2011 and Guyana’s fishery in 2019.

The Seabob Working Groups of Guyana and Suriname—which are made up of representatives from the respective Fisheries Departments, the industrial and artisanal seabob sectors, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)—will subsequently lead the implementation of the outcomes and recommendations from the meeting.

The CRFM CSWG aims to promote the sustainable utilization of continental self-resources and associated ecosystems through review and analysis of fisheries and related data and information and use this for the formulation and suitable management strategies, consistent with the ecosystem, precautionary and participatory approaches to fisheries management.

The FISH4ACP Project—Sustainable Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture Value Chains in ACP Countries—is a five-year value chain development programme spanning 2020 to 2025. It is being implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with funding from the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The CRFM collaborates with the FAO on the implementation of the FISH4ACP Project.