An expert workshop, organised by a joint working group on recreational fisheries, was recently held to review and finalise a manual to assess the impact of recreational Caribbean fishing.
A total of 29 experts from 8 countries including Trinidad and Tobago, USA, Venezuela, Columbia and El Salvador, attended the workshop to discuss the Manual on economic impact assessment of recreational fisheries in the Wider Caribbean Region.
The aim of the manual is to increase awareness and understanding among decision makers and the general public about the economic importance of recreational fisheries. It also wants to help fisheries managers to contribute more to public policy discussions affecting management, conservation and economic policy.
The group consists of the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC), Organisation for the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector of the Central American Isthmus (OSPESCA), the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) and the Caribbean Fisheries Management Council (CFMC). Its members believe the manual will prove a useful tool for assessing the level of expenditures and associated economic impacts within the region.
After a test phase in 2013, the manual will be distributed widely in English, Spanish and French.
