Driven by subsidies and techmology
This development has been encouraged by many factors, such as state subsidises, priority access to most of the coastal fishing areas, technological development including motorization of the pirogues (the local wooden fishing boats), and increased access to the more lucrative European and American markets.
But no regulation
However, almost nothing has been done to regulate the level of effort (numbers of boats, fishing seasons, etc.) Traditional methods of local management have largely broken down and present management regimes cannot cope with the new situation.
Moreover, most of the countries in the ecoregion have no long-term policies with a clear vision of priority actions to be taken in order to maintain the productivity of marine and coastal resources.
