About Us

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (CFMC) is one of eight regional fishery management councils, established under PL 94-265 (approved on April 13, 1976), now known as the Magnuson-Stevens Act (the Act) as amended in 1996 and 2007 also called Sustainable Fisheries Act, for the conservation and orderly utilization of the fishery resources of the United States of America.

The CFMC includes the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (PR) and the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). It has ten members, seven with vote and three with voice but no vote. Four of the voting members are appointed by the US Secretary of Commerce upon recommendations of the Governors of PR and the USVI. The other voting members are directly designated by the Act: the principal officials from PR and USVI with marine fishery management responsibility, and the Regional Administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southeast Regional Office (SERO). The three non-voting members are: the Director of the Southeast (Atlanta) Region of the Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Commander of the Seventh (Miami) District of the US Coast Guard (USCG), and a representative from the US Department of State (USDS).

The CFMC has its headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is unique in being the only council that does not include one of the fifty states of the Union and in sharing fish stocks with many Caribbean nations.

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council is responsible for the creation of management plans for fishery resources (FMPs) in the US Caribbean Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off PR and the USVI. FMPs are submitted to the US Secretary of Commerce for approval and implementation in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Once implemented, local Governments may adopt compatible legislation for the conservation of the fishery resources within local waters.

Descripción:

Strategic planning is necessary to determine the direction of an organization, set common goals and objectives, and identify ways to accomplish them. During 2020-2021, the CFMC was involved in developing its Strategic Plan for 2022-2026. The organization of the strategic plan reflects both the collective goals and distinctive needs of the three island districts that comprise the Council’s jurisdiction. The Vision, Mission, and Core Values incorporate a common future, purpose, and approach. The Goal Statements reflect broad areas of focus necessary to achieve the Council’s Vision while accommodating the differing priorities of each island district. All were developed with extensive Council, advisory panel, and stakeholder input.

For three of the goals (Management; Ecosystem and Resource Health; Social, Cultural, and Economic Issues), island-specific objectives and strategies were developed to address the characteristics and needs of each district. Several objectives evolved to be identical across island districts, indicating overlapping priorities. In such instances, objectives have been consolidated so that only the island-specific strategies are represented. The Council also determined that the Communication and Outreach goal encompasses one of its most important responsibilities and concluded the objectives and strategies were relevant throughout its jurisdiction, and not specific to one island or district.

Please, click on the following links to read and download the 2022-2026 CFMC Strategic Plan.

DOCUMENTOS:

2022-2026 CFMC Strategic Plan (English version)

Plan Estratégico del CFMC 2022-2026 (versión en español)

District Advisory Panels

Updated 02/15/2022

Scientific and Statistical Committee

SSC Objectives and Duties