Notes from the Field: The Bahamas, November 2019

Last month, the WildAid Marine team completed a formal scoping trip to The Bahamas, one of WildAid Marine’s newest project sites. The ocean is a defining element of daily life in The Bahamas where coastal and marine ecosystems support countless endangered species, provide livelihoods for tens of thousands of fishers, and contribute to tourism revenues that top $2.5 billion annually.

Recognizing the immense value of their oceans, The Bahamas has long been a leader in ocean conservation. To date, The Bahamas has designated 10 percent of its waters as marine protected areas (MPAs) and, in 2011, outlawed commercial shark fishing in all national waters. Despite these important steps, foreign and domestic poaching still poses a serious threat to the long-term health of wildlife and fisheries.

This year, WildAid Marine teamed up with The Nature Conservancy and the Bahamian government to develop and implement a roadmap to address key challenges and lead the country’s fisheries to long-term sustainability, including addressing illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing in The Bahamas’ national waters. Our Bahamian partners recognize the detrimental effects of IUU fishing and momentum is building in support of meaningful ocean protection.

Our most recent visit to The Bahamas was intended to inform the final drafting of the Marine Protection System (MPS) Plan for The Bahamas and scope operational platforms in the southern part of the country. During the trip, we completed a series of meetings and site visits with our key partners to identify the strengths and areas of improvement within the existing marine surveillance and enforcement system.