CFMC
UPDATES
APRIL 2025
The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (CFMC) newsletter contains activity announcements, facts on various marine species, and valuable information on fishing and the regulations that govern this activity in federal waters around Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
OVERVIEW OF FISHING REGULATIONS IN THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS FEDERAL WATERS The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (CFMC) and the National Marine Fisheries Service are responsible for the conservation and management of federal fishery resources in the U.S. Caribbean Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends 3 nautical miles from the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) coast to the offshore boundary of the EEZ, and 9 nautical miles from the Puerto Rico coast to the offshore boundary of the EEZ. The CFMC shifted from a U.S. Caribbean-wide management approach to an island-based management approach, applicable to the three separate U.S. Caribbean management areas: (1) St. Croix, USVI; (2) St. Thomas/St. John, USVI; and (3) Puerto Rico with the adoption of three fishery management plans (FMPs). Previously, the CFMC managed federal fisheries in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ under four U.S. Caribbean-wide FMPs: the Reef Fish FMP, the Spiny Lobster FMP, the Queen Conch FMP, and the Corals and Reef Associated Plants and Invertebrates FMP.
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