Haiti: Improved fisheries governance and food security through an integrated

15. Haiti: Improved fisheries governance and food security through an integrated

livelihoods approach Goal: Improve the food security of Haitians through an integrated livelihoods approach to sustainable fisheries management, thereby reducing their currently heavy reliance on fisheries and fisheries-related livelihoods as their primary source of income. Rationale: Haitian fisheries provide important livelihood opportunities employing approximately 55,000 people according the FAO and significant protein for the Haitian diet in a context where food security is eroding. Without action leading to more sustainable management of the small-scale fishery, this sector may experience a complete collapse, needlessly impacting poor fishing communities inland and along the coast and resulting not only in food insecurity, but in other negative economic, social and health issues at the individual, community, and even national level. Strategy: As a country in transition toward democracy, USAID should support Haiti in effective governance of marine resources. To address food security and development needs, fisheries should be considered in USAID livelihood development and food security programs. Although men dominate boat fishing activities, it is Haitian women who buy, clean, salt, treat, transform and transport the fish and other seafood. Economic growth activities related to fisheries value chains have the potential to increase women’s and household income. Due to the lack of information on Haitian fisheries and needs, a detailed country assessment is the logical first step. 16. Honduras and Nicaragua: Promote fair and sustainable international trade of lobster and conch fishery resources through private-public sector alliances Goal: Achieve sustainable harvests of valuable and overexploited marine species of spiny lobster and conch in Honduras and Nicaragua through fishery certification. Rationale: This is a high-value, small-scale fishery with, in the case of the lobster, almost all the production targeted for the U.S. market. The fishery has relatively clear lines of trade unlike most small-scale, multi-species fisheries primarily to U.S. markets. Strategy: Develop a sustainable harvest certification program for Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus and queen conch Strombus gigas. This requires creating review and certification protocols for the various steps in the international trade chain. Certification will require the involvement of law enforcement agencies, especially to address cross- border poaching and harvesting of juveniles. Potential partners include the USAID Global Development Alliance, the USAID regional office in Central America, USAID Missions in Nicaragua and Honduras, the Marine Stewardship Council, U.S. State Department, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Global Environment Fund, World Bank, NGOs and appropriate private sector partners that dominate the market chain. Lessons can be drawn from the MSC Certification of the Baja California spiny lobster Panulirus interruptus . This program should be linked to ongoing efforts to protect the Meso- American Barrier Reef and past efforts to support the Miskito Keys protected area in 83 Nicaragua by USAID and other donors. Lessons should also be drawn from prior work funded by USAID on market chain analysis for the Caribbean spiny lobster by the Programa Ambiental Regional para Centroamérica PROARCA. Efforts to improve economic development and sustainable harvesting of these organisms should be linked to the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement DR-CAFTA, which is important to USAID Missions in the region. For example, improved phyto-sanitation methods should be applied to lobster. Attention to diver safety and alternative or supplemental livelihood training is an important aspect of this fishery’s reform. Since little of the money earned by young male lobster divers returns to their homes and communities, there are an increasing number of destitute female-headed households. Hence, assistance should include alternative livelihood development for these women and funding and training for such activities as marketing and processing of agroforestry products, bark cloth design and marketing, cooked food sales, tailoring, fishing, etc. 17. Jamaica: Improve fisheries governance through co-management, effort reduction, and increased use of fisheries reserves Goal: Improve ocean health and reduce overfishing of coral reef ecosystems through improved governance and policy-making. Rationale: Jamaica’s reefs are biodiverse and heavily overexploited. There have been major ecological shifts in Jamaica’s coral reef ecosystem, with large areas now overgrown with algae due to grazer overfishing, water quality declines, and bleaching. These reefs historically supported important inshore fisheries and are one cornerstone of coastal tourism in this nation. Strategy: Past efforts supported by USAID and other donors to improve watershed management should be extended to coastal and ocean areas to improve fisheries management. Closure of the open access fishing regime through fishing effort regulation and rights-based management should be the priority. Activities in this area should include the large number of Jamaican professional women already working on environmental issues, as well as balanced representation of community men and women in institutions that coordinate policy reforms. Efforts should be coordinated with the White Water to Blue Water program and other USAID-supported protected area management programs. In particular, USAID should consider supporting efforts to protect the reefs and sustainably manage the coral reef fisheries on the Pedro Banks. 84

18. Mexico: Strengthen governance through ecosystem-based management of the