Island-Based Fishery Management Plans

Through the Island Based Fishery Management Plans (IBFMPs), the CFMC manages fisheries in federal waters around the U.S. Caribbean. There are three separate fishery management plans, one for each area: Puerto Rico, St. Thomas/St. John and St. Croix. Each of these plans include management measures for those species of reef fish, coastal pelagic fish, spiny lobster, queen conch, corals, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and rays within their waters, as applicable.

These plans allow NOAA Fisheries and the CFMC to manage species identified in federal waters surrounding the U.S. Caribbean, while considering the differences between fishing sectors (commercial and recreational) that operate in those waters, the markets available for the products caught in those waters, the economy of the islands, fishers, fishing communities, and the unique social and cultural attributes of each island.