CFMC UPDATES
In the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (CFMC)'s bulletin you will find announcements, facts about marine species, and valuable information on fishing and regulations that rule this activity in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
The 172nd CFMC Regular Virtual Meeting will be held through ZOOM on December 8-9, 2020. Visit www.caribbeanfmc.com/meetingdocuments for the agenda and connection details.
U N D E R U T I L I Z E D S P E C I E S Octopus (Octopus vulgaris)
The CFMC continues promoting fishing and consumption of local species that are not overfished, do not have closures and represent a sustainable choice according to the best scientific information available. This time, we are presenting the octopus. Octopus are mollusks that inhabit coral reefs, pelagic waters, and the seabed. Some live in the intertidal zone and others at abyssal depths.
Octopuses typically hide or disguise themselves by camouflage and mimicry, and can rapidly alter their shape to squeeze through small gaps; some have conspicuous warning coloration. Octopus is eaten throughout the Caribbean; however, it is not caught in all the areas. For example, in Puerto Rico, the octopus is not caught in all the coasts Although it is consumed widely, a significant part of the octopus that is sold in the restaurants is imported Octopus is a species that could be prepared in many different ways: with sauces, marinade (escabeche), on the grill, in the oven, fried, on salad (a very common preparation in Puerto Rico and the USVI) and, of course, the famous Puerto Rican cup of octopus.
DEC
2020
S A V E T H E D A T E !
I S L A N D - B A S E D F I S H E R I E S M A N A G E M E N T P L A N ( I B F M P )
Since 1976, the CFMC has managed the fisheries in federal waters through fishery management plans implemented in the 1980s. These plans apply to all the islands in the US Caribbean: Puerto Rico, St. Thomas/St. John y St. Croix. However, since 2016, the CFMC started a process aimed to implement management plans focused on each island. This allows the recognition of the unique attributes of the fishery resources and the communities dependent on those resources The regulations were revised. Some of the regulations were removed, others were kept, and new ones were included
according to the status of the fisheries in each island. IBFMPs were approved in September 2020 and will be implemented through ruling in 2021. The overarching goal of the IBFMPs is to ensure the continued health of fishery resources occurring in the EEZ surrounding each island and achieve sustainability, within the context of the unique biological, ecological, economic and cultural characteristics of those resources and the communities that are dependent upon them For more information on these plans, visit: https://caribbeanfmc.com/.
CFMC UPDATES
He has shown his leadership as President of the Fishing Village in Punta Pozuelo, Guayama, President of Fishers and Defenders of the Sea Federation (FEPDEMAR, in Spanish), and member of the DNER Fishing Advisory Board He fishes a great variety of species: yellowtail snapper, mutton snapper, white mullet, sardines, corvina fish, porgy, snappers, queen triggerfish, white grunt, and red hind. Likewise, he has learned and he uses a wide range of fishing arts such as line, seine net (chinchorro), trolling, and pots. He learned how to fish with his father and his cousins, and many family members also fish: brothers, cousins, nephews. Miguel is conscious about the importance of nature conservation. He and his family grow part of their food and have lived on what land and sea provide. Miguel considers that fishing closures are a contribution that fishers do for themselves and for the sake of future generations He believes that fishers have a fundamental role in marine conservation. Miguel is married to Carmen Justiniano Pabón, who is the head of the kitchen in the fishing village.
I S H E R O F T H E M O N T H
M I G U E L
S E R R A N O CFMC UPDATES C o m m e r c i a l f i s h e r , j e w e l l e r w h i l e l i v i n g i n t h e U S A , a n d a s u r f e r i n h i s t e e n s , M i g u e l O r t i z i s o n e o f t h e b e s t k n o w n f i s h e r s i n P u e r t o R i c o .
F
:
O R T I Z
Picture provided by: Miguel Ortiz
Red hind - December 1 - February 28 Silk snapper - October 1 - December 31 Blackfin snapper - October 1 - December 31 Black snapper - October 1 - December 31 Vermillion snapper - October 1 - December 31
hind - December 1 - February 28 Silk snapper - October 1 - December 31 Blackfin snapper - October 1 - December 31 Silk snapper - October 1 - December 31 Blackfin snapper - October 1 - December 31 Black snapper - October 1 - December 31 Vermillion snapper - October 1 - December 31 The following species has seasonal closures. US Caribbean EEZ Puerto Rico Jurisdictional Waters USVI Jurisdictional Waters Do not catch, transport, sell or buy these species during the closure! For the closures calendar, visit https://caribbeanfmc.com/calendars/closed-seasons. D O N ' T F O R G E T ! L O O K F O R U S w w w . c a r i b b e a n f m c . c o m CFMC UPDATES
Red
