59. The Workshop considered the range of IUU fishing problems prevalent in the Caribbean subregion and developed a priority ranking by country. In turn, the issues for the subregion as a whole were ranked from 1 to 14. Participants also proposed a list of actions to be taken to address the IUU fishing problems identified. The priority listing of problems by country and for the region and the proposed actions to combat these problems are attached as Appendix N. It can be observed that there are no significant difference between rank 1, 2 and 3, as indicated by the averages. A similar pattern of clusters can be identified from the priority listing in Appendix N.
60. Discussion of the main IUU fishing issues reflected a good understanding of the problems that countries are encountering. It was evident that many of the problems were similar across the Caribbean subregion although the severity of the problems varied among countries. It can be observed that the geography of the region also influenced the severity of the problems.
61. The importance of bilateral and regional cooperation in addressing a number of the IUU fishing problems apparent in the subregion was underscored in discussions in the Workshop. In particular, it was noted that collaborative programmes needed to be implemented in the areas of MCS and the marketing of some species of fish. The implementation of bilateral and multilateral fishing agreements was also considered to be of importance in reducing the incidence of IUU fishing in the subregion.
62. The Workshop agreed that the information contained in Appendix N provided an excellent overview of the nature of IUU fishing in the Caribbean subregion and measures that might be implemented nationally, subregionally and regionally to combat these fishing problems.
