Big Fish Initiative 188th CFMC Regular Meeting Presentation
BIG FISH INITIATIVE
188th CFMC Hybrid Regular Meeting December 4, 2025
A 5-year trilingual Campaign for the Sustainable Management of the species that aggregate to spawn, and the protection of Fish Spawning Aggregations in the Wider Caribbean & beyond
WECAFC/CFMC/OSPESCA/CRFM Spawning Aggregation Working Group + IUCN SSC SG + 50 partners+ (ONGs, Media, and Government Institutions)
Ana Salceda
Communication Strategist, Journalist, Filmmaker BelugaSmile & BFI’s Executive Producer
BIG FISH INITIATIVE
188th CFMC Hybrid Regular Meeting
CAMPAIGN GOALS
Connect the US Caribbean with the region and the global community of fishers, governments, scientists, and other stakeholders around a common message and solid knowledge (TK+SK) on FSA and the sustainable management of reef fish species with an ecosystem approach.
Create awareness and serve the RFSAMP and other proposed national and international regulations to protect the reproduction of commercial fish species by reaching managers, decisionmakers, fishers, and other stakeholders working to protect FSAs.
exchange (FK + SK) of FSAs & CRF among communities, managers, and scientists to advance locally-driven decision making and participation, while promoting temporal closures, MPA & OECM that protect FSAs.
BIG FISH TARGET AUDIENCES
The fishing community Decision-makers Seafood Consumers
FISHERFOLK
Commercial + Recreational
Fishers are an indispensable part of the solution and thus are our main audience. Their ecological knowledge, participation and collaboration are key to the success of the campaign and to obtain resilient fisheries and communities.
More than half of our online audience is made up of the fishing community.
DECISION-MAKERS
Among decision-makers, we are focused on three key stakeholders:
1.Policy Makers
2.Fishery Managers
3.Enforcement Officials
FISH CONSUMERS
FISH CONSUMERS
& TRAVELERS
are critical because they drive demand through buying habits in the Caribbean and beyond, and can support or encourage decision-makers and can influence protection of the targeted species.
KEY MESSAGES
Protect the reproduction to recover the fisheries.
Don’t fish, sell, buy or eat grouper and snapper species during the spaw seasons.
NO Fishing, Sales or Consumption
From April through July
#FISHSMART
NOFishing, Sales or Consumption
From December through March
(Mutton) Snapper (Nassau) Grouper
BIG FISH INITIATIVE
188th CFMC Hybrid Regular Meeting
CAMPAIGN PRODUCTS
easure of the Caribbean” .
p As & reels (in English & Spanish)
Short-films: Four short films have been produced in three different languages: English, Spanish and French.
Nassau Grouper Against The Clock: A call to action for decision-makers to protect Nassau Grouper.
F2F Advice, Fish Smart: A call to action from fishers to their colleagues to respect the spawning season.
Love is in the Water: A call to action to seafood consumers to consume alternative species during groupers and snappers ’ spawning seasons.
Social Media Platforms: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads & X Posters & Cooking books
Citizen Science Program for fishers & enforcement officials: in collaboration with local partners throughout the Caribbean we use these materials and partners’ in workshops and other live events to engage target audiences in the protection of FSAs.
Funded by national partners & Big Fish Initiative Newsletter: on hold. To resume once funds available.
TESORO CARIBE
Long-form broadcast film
TREASURE
A STORY OF HOPE IN DIRE TIMES.
THE DISCOVERY OF A CORAL REEL IN THE HEART OF THE CARIBBEAN, THE CAYMAN CROWN, MARKS A NEW CHAPTER IN UNDERSTANDING CORALS, THE FISH THAT DEPEND ON THEM, AND SAVING CORAL REEFS AND FSAs WORLDWIDE. .
PRODUCTIONS in partnership with NATURE PBS and HHMI TANGLED BANK STUDIOS
The Film has been seen by more than 5 million people in the USA, Europe & Asia on TV channels, platforms (Apple TV, Amazon prime) and film festivals.
Additionally, the Big Fish Initiative has organized Special Screenings for Fishers, lawmakers, fisheries managers, enforcement officials and fishing communities, followed by FSAs panel discussions in the following places/events in 2024-25.
GCFI Annual Meeting (November, 2023)
The Bahamas (January, 2024 / 3 events)
Belize (February, 14 2024 / 5 events + 1 workshop
Honduras (April 15-20, 2024 / 6 events)
Mexico (June 8, 2024) World Oceans Day
Spain (November 6, 2024) / 2 events
IUCN’s Global FSAs Workshop / 2-day event
Guatemala (February 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 / May 12 / November 12, 2025)
International ExpoSostenible (April 2, 2025)
Dominican Republic (International May 9, 2025)
United Nations Ocean Conference (France, June 5, 6 / 2 screening events)
IUCN World Conservation Conference (Abu Dhabi, October 12, 13, 14 / 3 events)
COP30 (Brazil, November 21) / 2 day-event.
Next in 2026
WHERE: Panama
WHEN: February 2
PARTNERS: MiAmbiente + ARAP + ACP
WHERE: Suriname/Guiyana or Saint Vincent
WHEN: Late February / Early March
PARTNERS: CRFM
WHERE: Haiti, Cuba
WHEN: TBD
PARTNER: Corredor Biológico del Caribe
Official Launch: June 3rd, 2024
Data Period: 17 months
Event Count: 38,084 visits
Total Active Users: 3,500 people
BigFishInitiative.com
Sections for 3 target audiences
Resource Library: free downloads of management plans, videos, podcasts, PSAs, recipes, papers monitoring protocols, cartoons.. Regulations per Species/Country
Big Fish Protection Network
Month over Month Growth of Active Users 9%
BIG FISH HUB
FISHERFOLK
1. Short films with Calls to Action
2. Field manual to identify species
3. Alternative livelihoods
4. Training opportunities
5. Funding opportunities
6. Fisherfolk Network
7. Best Practices (incl. Salvapeje)
8. Big Fish Protection Network
BIG FISH HUB
DECISION MAKERS
Key Features
1. Short films with Call to Action.
2.Existing regulations by country: Help us complete existing data.
3.Guides to Promote Closures & Support Enforcement.
4.Fisheries Departments Network to facilitate coordination with neighbors.
5.Big Fish Protection Network.
BIG FISH HUB
SEAFOOD CONSUMERS
Features
1. New Short film “Love is in The Water”
2. Learning about fish species
3. Travel Smart tips
4. Alternative Species to Consume
Where are Our Users located? 2025
Less Activity
OfficialLaunch:June3rd,2024
DataPeriod:17months
EventCount:38,084visits
TotalActiveUsers:3,500people Month over Month Growth of Active Users
TotalActiveUsers:3,500people Month over Month Growth of Active Users
Big Fish Initiative
Resource Library
Fisherfolk
Decision-Makers
Sexe en mer (Article)
Team & Events
Management Plans
Seafood Consumers
Regional FSA Mgmt. Plan
El sexo marino (Article)
Iniciativa Big Fish
Trivia
Red Hind
Global FSA Workshop
Biblioteca de recursos
Scientific Papers
Pescadores
Tiger Grouper
Yellow Fin Grouper
Video
How do Users interact with the Hub?
Big Fish Initiative
Fisherfolk
Decision-Makers
Resource Library
Seafood Consumers
Global FSA Workshop
Team & Events
Management Plans
Regional FSA Mgmt. Plan
Trivia Infographics
SOCIAL MEDIA: Content, Audiences & Growth Highlights
BIG FISH EVENTS FISHER HEROES ENFORCEMENT SUCCESSES
REPORT FROM THE FIELD
BIG FISH SCIENCE SCIENTIST SPOTLIGHT
SOCIAL MEDIA: Follower Distribution by Country (all
VENEZUE
Our SOCIAL MEDIA Community: Other countries
OTHER IG & FB FOLLOWERS ARE IN: HAITI, PHILIPPINES, BRAZIL, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, SOUTH, AFRICA, POLAND, CANADA, COSTA RICA, ITALY, AUSTRALIA, UK, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ICELAND, DENMARK, COOK ISLANDS, BELGIUM, GREECE, KENYA, GERMANY, ARGENTINA, SCOTLAND, PAKISTAN, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, GRENADA, BANGLADESH
LINKEDIN
SOCIAL MEDIA: Growth rate over lifetime of organic campaign.
10.000 8.000 6.000 4.000 2.000 0
WIAIMPACTCAMP
Sustainability,Environment &Climate
SI R WINNER
ECommunity ngagemen
Sustainability,Environment &Climate
BIG FISH INITIATIVE
188th CFMC Hybrid Regular Meeting
CAMPAIGN GOALS: What have we achieved?
Connect th US C ibb ith the region communit governmen other stake common m knowledge the sustain fish specie approach.
188th CFMC Hybrid Regular Meeting
Protection for The Cayman Crown and its FSAs in Guatemala and Belize. Better legislation in Honduras that protects some species of groupers and FSAs.
Based on partners numbers and our own analytics/metrics, we have reached 6 Million people through our Long form & short films + Radio + Hub + SM + 150 live events + Citizen Science Program.
Expanded audience and network of partners to continue making a difference.
Better informed, more knowledgable stakeholders. More awareness among the general public and our target audiences regarding FSAs, commercial reef fish species, and connectivity (geographic, ecosystem, trophic web...) .
Exposure to the RFSAMP that has been promoted online and live events, including the proposed fishing bans.
With more engaged fisherfolk, our Citizen Science Program has contributed to push fishers’ ecological knowledge and fisherfolk’s key role in species recovery into the agenda.
The BFI has catalized efforts within the region and beyond as a result of our collaborative approach on our way to more resilient fisheries and communities.
The US Caribbean is better connected to the rest of the wider Caribbean and to the rest of the world) on AllThings-Big-Fish through the BFI. 5
More and more people/organizations are supporting our work to recover reef fish species and protect FSAs.
