Report of the second meeting of the OSPESCA/WECAFC/CRFM/CFMC Spiny Lobster Working Group
The second meeting of the OSPESCA/WECAFC/CRFM/CFMC working group on Caribbean Spiny Lobster took place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 21 to 23 March 2018. The status of the Caribbean spiny lobster fishery was presented in the subregions of OSPESCA and the CRFM, as well as in Brazil, Cuba, the United States and Mexico. Delegates also learned about the progress in the implementation and definition of indicators of subcomponent 4A related to spiny lobster in the CLME + Strategic Action Plan and the preparation and contents of the SOMEE Report. A new expanded and updated proposal of a regional plan for the management of Caribbean lobster prepared in the context of the Ecolobster + sub-project of the CLME + project was also presented. In the same context, a harmonized system of data collection and evaluation of lobster stocks that allows for minimum common elements among countries for purposes of comparing results and estimating the spiny lobster stock status was presented. Additionally, advances in the design and implementation of a proposed regional standard for traceability of fishery products, with emphasis on the Caribbean lobster fishery, were shown. Terms of Reference of the working group were discussed and updated, and the 2016–2018 work plan was adopted. The working group also adopted a new definition in the identification and distribution of spiny lobster stocks in the Greater Caribbean.