Big Fish Campaign
The 10-year education and outreach strategy “Recovering Big Fish” starts as a two-year, trilingual Public Engagement Campaign (PEC) called Big Fish. It is designed to help protect fish spawning aggregations (FSA) in the Wider Caribbean, initially focusing on Nassau grouper and mutton snapper as flag species. This communication effort has been developed by the Communication Sub-Committee of the Spawning Aggregation Working Group, led by the communication strategist and producer, Ana Salceda (BelugaSmile Productions.)
Big Fish refers to many of the attributes that are foundational to the PEC. It suggests the size of the fish that aggregate to spawn, the number of fish that aggregate, the big money that’s at stake, the size of the fisheries crisis, and the number of people intimately connected to fisheries and the reefs in the region.
Our target audiences are the fishing community, decision-makers, and the general public. To learn more about the communication strategy, its target audiences, as well as the messaging and communication style, please see the FINAL REPORT of “Recovering Big Fish”
You can download it here:
Appendix C_FSAs Inventory & Collection Final
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Production of the hub and the rest of the PEC products will resume in the first quarter of 2023. The WECAFC SAWG has agreed on launching the campaign in August 2023.
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Produced in 3 languages (English, Spanish, and French). Species-specific posters describe the life history and spawning behavior of the TFMP’s two focal species (Nassau grouper and Mutton snapper). Both digital and print versions will be freely distributed across the Caribbean. The Caribbean Fisheries Management Council has produced two posters that will be redesigned for the campaign once the branding is finished. A third poster, focused on fishery management, is currently in development; it will be designed as a template allowing individual countries to insert local regulations and text.
- Nassau Grouper / Mero cherna (English and Spanish)
- Mutton Snapper / Sama (English and Spanish)
- Vivaneau sorbe (French)
- Mérou de Nassau (French)
Cherna criolla - French
Cartel Sama - French
Sama - ESP -ENG
Cherna Criolla - ESP -ENG
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Designed to reach fishers and fish consumers, the radio kit includes two podcasts and two PSAs. Radio content focuses on the natural history of species that aggregate to spawn and seasonal closures during spawning periods for both Nassau grouper and mutton snapper. The Radio kit will be distributed via local marine radios, commercial radios, social media, and WhatsApp groups.
Two podcasts addressing fishers and fishing communities:
- The Secret Language of Nassau Grouper Length: 10 mins. A female narrator guides the audience through the natural history of this species, emphasizing reproductive behavior. This podcast relies on underwater acoustics ---fish calls of courtship and territorial behavior building to a fevered pitch until the final silence of the spawning.
- Fish Smart Length: 20 mins Zoom meeting between fishers and managers of diverse genders, countries, and accents connecting the dots for the audience on what’s at stake, the benefits of protecting spawning aggregations, and the downside of fishing species during the reproductive season. Additionally, it opens the discussion to alternative livelihoods that would take some pressure on these species during the mating season.
Two PSAs:
- Promotion of the regional closed season for Nassau grouper from December through March.
- Promotion of the regional closed season for mutton snapper from April through July: the main message emerges from a conversation between a fisherman and a fish buyer set in a fish market.
We have finished production of the English Radio kit thanks to the generous support of SPAW-RAC. We’re in pre-production for the Spanish kit. The French version will be produced later in 2023.
Audio files to listen to:
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The logo for the PEC serves as its public-facing identity. We’re developing the Logo in collaboration with the advertisement agency Duncan Channon (San Francisco, USA). These are the final concepts that are being developed.
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Short films: With the support of NOAA Fisheries, two short films have been produced in three different languages: English, Spanish, and French. They will be available on the hub when it goes live, along with the rest of the PEC products.
- Nassau Grouper Against the Clock: A 3-min film addressed to decision-makers that promotes the closed season for Nassau grouper from December to March. It includes the critical status of this species throughout the wider Caribbean and the success stories documented by scientists studying its recovery within protected areas that have proper enforcement.
- F2F Advice: Fish Smart: A 4-min film aimed at Caribbean fishers is a call to action from fishers to their colleagues. It includes the behavior that characterizes the species that aggregate to spawn, the reasons why it’s bad business to fish an FSA, and a call to protect the species during the breeding season, supported by examples of success stories.
Two more short films are currently in production:
- “Once Upon a Tide There Was a Golden Fish” (title TBC): A 3-min film for the fishing community focused on mutton snapper –in postproduction.
- “Love is in The Water” (title TBC): A 2-min film for the general public to promote the benefits of helping to protect FSAs by not consuming grouper and snapper during the spawning season.
