Updating the Fisheries Management Plan for Suriname
With support of the regional project “Sustainable Management of Bycatch in Latin America and Caribbean Trawl Fisheries (REBYC-II LAC)”, the fisheries managment plan (FMP) for Suriname has been evaluated. This plan, which was designated for the period 2014-2018, has been subject to a torough evaluation in 2019. This was deemed necessary in order to conduct a valid update of the plan for the period 2020-2025. The evaluation was done through various consultations among both artisanal and industrial fisheries in Suriname, and it took place from May 2019 to November 2019. The members of the fishing cooperatives in Nickerie, Coronie, Boskamp, Commewijne, Galibi and Paramaribo were consulted for the input of the artisanal fishers. Further input has been obtained through interviews and sessions with NGO’s, industrial fisheries representatives and managing authorities such as the Fisheries Department under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, the Maritime Authority, Coast Guard, Navy and local government representatives.
The FMP is a policy document that establishes agreements between the management authorities and stakeholders in the artisanal and industrial fishing sector. The FMP sets out the policy expressed in the relevant laws and official orders, but goes into further details. All stakeholders should understand and be comfortable with their role and resposibilities in order to ensure a good managment and avoid misunderstandings. During the consultations, all parties contributed to the evaluation of current policy measures. This resulted in a discussion paper, which was circulated among the stakeholders and should serve as a basis for an updated fisheries managment plan.
On the 12th of March 2020, a stakeholder meeting was held to present the discussion paper and discuss the next steps in the development of an updated FMP. The meeting was attended by various representatives from artisinal and industrial fisheries, NGO’s and government agencies. During the presentation, general policy measures were discussed, such as catch registration, licensing policy, fishing zone and protected areas. Furthermore, the various policy measures per fishing category, decision-making and participation, monitoring and control, international and regional cooperation and research facilities were highlighted. After agreement by stakeholders, the discussion paper will serve as the foundation for a new fisheries management plan 2020-2024. The drafting of the new FMP will be overseen by the Fisheries Department, with technical and financial support of the regional CLME+ project. The draft of this new FMP will be presented to stakeholders again later in the year to allow for a next round of discussion and input.