Purpose of Community-Based Fisheries Management

(a)The purpose of a community-based fisheries management strategy is to empower coastal resource communities to protect, preserve, manage, and conserve aquatic life, habitat, and marine communities and ecosystems, and to ensure the health, welfare and integrity of marine resources for current and future generations through a more holistic ecosystem-based management approach, which shall be consistent with this Chapter and 9 GAR Chapter 12 (Fishing Regulations).

(b)The Director of the Department of Agriculture, Mayors, and Municipal Planning Councils shall have the authority to designate community-based fisheries managed areas and develop fisheries management plans, along with rules and regulations subject to the Administrative Adjudication Law, 5 GCA Chapter 9. Such rules and regulations may be revisited annually for any revisions to be made through the Administrative Adjudication Law process.