The Barbados Fisheries Division will be launching our Public Awareness Campaign entitled: Transformative Change: Fish Smart, Hook Right! On Friday August 28th 5pm at the Courtney Blackman Grand Salle.
This public awareness campaign to build understanding of, and voluntary compliance with the Sustainable Fisheries Development and Management Act, 2025 and its Regulations. The centrepiece regulatory change is a mandatory switch from J-hooks to circle hooks (16/0 unoffset, or 18/0 with offset ≤10°) on all horizontal longline vessels operating in Barbadian waters.
To address the concerns and reduce the cost incurred by the fishing fleet, the Division has engaged with its partners to provide programmes supporting the procurement and provision of the circle hooks. These include:
• Buy-back/trade-in scheme: Fisheries Division is partnering with the REBYC III CLME+ Project to procure circle hooks and operate a trade-in/buy-back scheme, allowing fishers to exchange existing J-hook gear for circle hooks rather than bearing the full replacement cost upfront. This is the principal measure being used to offset the immediate cost burden of transition.
• Discounted procurement through partner institutions: Fisheries Division is working with partnering agencies and institutions to offer circle hooks at discounted rates, improving affordability and helping to secure a more reliable local supply chain for compliant gear.
• Regulatory backing: These support measures are being paired with the formal enactment of the Sustainable Management and Development Regulations, giving the transition a clear regulatory basis alongside the financial support fishers need to comply.
• Continued stakeholder engagement: The pilot study highlighted that early engagement of influential fishers helped build voluntary buy-in and peer-driven uptake; continuing this engagement alongside the buy-back scheme is expected to further support a smoother transition.
Please find the draft programme here: