WWF welcomes Caribbean Spiny Lobster fishing ban

ShareThisCentral America, 1 March 2010 – For the first time in Central America Caribbean, Spiny lobster fishing will be banned from the region’s waters during the species’ reproductive season, raising hopes for more responsible fishing practices in the region. Of all the fishing resources in this region, spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) is the most important income source for a large number of coastal communities, especially as it fetches high market prices. The species is intensively fished from Belize to Panama and compared with other sea food products, it is considered a high valued dish. Both market demand and prices are ‘high end’, fuelling its overexploitation. Lobster fishery has been the backbone of the fishing economy in Central America for over 100 years, but recently the dwindling catch has worried both the government and fishermen. “WWF celebrates this first regional closed season and is proud to have been part of this joint effort’ said Bessy Aspra, WWF Fisheries Officer. “This regional closed season is an important step for the protection of the most valuable fishing resource in the region, but it is also a clear sign of the regional and national commitment with the conservation of marine ecosystems.” The ban will be in place from the beginning of March until the end of June. WWF works with governments, the private sector and fishermen in order to ensure the viability of lobster populations and to help implement better, more sustainable fishing practices. Scientific studies on ecosystem based fisheries management are also conducted, helping reach policy decisions such as the regional ban on lobster fisheries. This ban responds to the Fisheries and Aquaculture Integration Policy and the ordinance OSP-02-09 for the “Regional Regulation of Caribbean Lobster Fishing (Panulirus argus)”, issued by the Organization for Central American Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector (OSPESCA) and signed by the governments of the isthmus on May 21 2009.