Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2000

Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000
GOVERNMENT POLICIES, LAWS AND LEGISLATION
The Fisheries Acts and Regulations for Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis,
St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada are similar, through a harmonising of
fisheries legislation. As an example, in St. Lucia, the legislation prohibits the use of dynamite
and poisons, collection and sale of, and damage to corals and sponges, and allows for the
creation of Marine Reserves, with regulation of activities in Marine Reserves without a
permit, and allows the establishment of Local Fisheries Management Authorities. Additional
national legislation has been established specifically for MPAs and marine environmental
management, such as the Marine Areas Act (1982) and National Parks Act (1984) in Antigua
and Barbuda, the National Conservation and Environment Protection Act no. 5 (1987) in St.
Kitts and Nevis. Although members of the OECS, the UK Territories do not adopt the
harmonised acts but they can establish ordinances, such as the BVI’s National Marine Park
and Protected Area Ordinance no. 8 of 1979.
In Barbados, two sets of legislation were passed in 1998 and proclaimed in 2000. The
Coastal Zone Management Act provides a comprehensive statutory basis for coastal
management and planning in Barbados. It seeks to coordinate and update the existing
fragmented statutes relevant to coastal management and makes provision for critical areas
of concern not covered by current legislation. The Act provides the legal basis for the
preparation of a Coastal Management Plan, which establishes and clearly sets out the
Government’s coastal management policy and technical guidelines for the use and
allocation of coastal resources. The Act specifically deals with protection of marine
resources, for example destruction of corals and fouling of the foreshore. It also
encompasses the designation of Marine Protected Areas and Marine Parks. The Marine
Pollution and Control Act focuses on the quality of the marine waters on the south and west
coasts of the island. Overall, the legislation seeks to prevent, reduce and control pollution
from various sources, and recognises that much of the marine pollution originates from land
based sources and activities. Both these Acts seek to ensure that the provisions of the
Coastal Zone Management Plan are consistently applied, and there is conformity in the Acts
in the establishment of coastal water quality standards which are to be enforced.
The French Caribbean
There is legislation regulating fishing activities (decree #094-77 bis; 1998) for Guadeloupe,
Saint-Barthélémy and (French) Saint Martin. Fishing and collecting of any non-commercial
marine plants or benthic invertebrates, and fishing or collecting using scuba are all
prohibited. Similar laws exist for Martinique. A minimum mesh size for the Caribbean trap is
38mm, as are mesh sizes of nets, and non-professional fishermen are prohibited from
selling their catch. There are also regulations controlling the harvest of sea urchin, queen
conch, and spiny lobsters, with either stipulations on size limits, harvest seasons or quotas
to license holders. Specific laws have been formulated to control the sale of potentially
ciguatoxic fish species, and to protect sea turtles and their eggs. These regulations are
relatively well accepted in Guadeloupe and Saint-Barthélémy, but not on Saint-Martin,
where a lack of coordination with the Dutch part of the island (Sint-Maarten) makes
enforcement difficult.
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