Question 1

What is the Blue Prosperity Plan?

Accepted Answer

Bermuda’s Blue Prosperity Plan represents the culmination of a four-year planning and public review process led by the people of Bermuda. Bermuda seeks a future where its marine waters contain healthy ecosystems that can support a thriving and more resilient ocean-based economy while balancing the diverse priorities of ocean users.

Bermuda’s Blue Prosperity Plan is a framework that supports the sustainable management of ocean resources, coordinates decision-making about marine-based development, ensures that 20% of Bermuda’s marine waters are fully protected marine protected areas (MPAs), and provides a strategy for the sustainable growth of the Blue Economy.

Question 2

What are the benefits to Bermuda?

Accepted Answer

The Blue Prosperity Plan proposes sustainable management measures for Bermuda’s marine environment, allowing it to be enjoyed by boaters, divers, fishermen and more for years to come. The Blue Prosperity Plan is a strategy to benefit everyone in Bermuda by:
Growing Bermuda’s ocean economy & creating jobs
Increasing investment & support to local businesses & programmes
Producing cleaner, cheaper energy
Expanding sustainable marine tourism
Managing and conserving our marine resources, including cultural heritage
Supporting sustainable local fisheries
Enhancing ocean health and protecting Bermuda’s unique marine life

Through the consultative Marine Spatial Planning process, areas of the ocean have been designated into different use zones including fishing areas, highly protected areas, fully protected areas, etc. The Marine Spatial Plan (MSP) includes maps that define specific locations where human activities are permitted, restricted (i.e., allowed under certain conditions), or fully prohibited. It also contains action plans that support MSP implementation and management, and address future management needs that have been identified throughout the consultation process.

The Blue Economy Strategy creates many opportunities to sustainably grow jobs and Bermuda's economy in sectors including fishing, tourism, renewable energy, and aquaculture. It also includes the creation of a fund that will gather investment and allocate resources and mentorship to local businesses.

Question 3

How was the public involved in creating the Blue Prosperity Plan?

Accepted Answer

Bermuda’s Blue Prosperity Plan represents the culmination of a four-year planning and public review process led by the people of Bermuda.

The plan’s development has been led by the Government of Bermuda, specifically the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). It has been guided by the Steering Committee which is comprised of 19 Bermudian organisations, the Science Committee which is made up of Bermudian and Bermuda-based scientists, stakeholder groups representing various ocean sectors, and public engagement including through town halls, community events, surveys, and public materials.

Question 4

How was science used to create the Blue Prosperity Plan?

Accepted Answer

The Blue Prosperity Plan is a result of four years of data collection, consultation with industry and marine science experts, numerous rounds of stakeholder consultation, and exhaustive ecological and economic
analyses.

To support the selection of proposed marine protected areas (MPAs), local scientists provided data to help map our marine environment, showing the location of critical habitats and the most important areas for fish and corals. The design of Bermuda’s MPA network was also guided by global science, by examining what makes MPAs successful in other places and applying those lessons here. Furthermore, a comprehensive Ocean Use Survey (OUS) was used to understand how Bermuda residents use and value the ocean. The survey was open from September 2020 to February 2021, with more than 1400 responses. It was reopened exclusively to commercial fishermen from November 2022 to March 2023. The new data collected from commercial fishermen represents input from 60% of Bermuda’s full-time fishermen and 29% of Bermuda’s part-time fishermen.

The responses to the Ocean Use Survey were used to create heatmaps to visually represent which areas within Bermuda's waters are considered most valuable by each sector. These heatmaps, along with environmental data supplied by local scientists, were incorporated into a computer “Prioritization” model. The model identified priority areas for conservation, and these were evaluated by stakeholders to develop and refine a marine protected area network that better meets the MSP’s principles, goals, and objectives.

Question 5

How were fishermen involved in creating this plan?

Accepted Answer

Every stakeholder group has had an opportunity to be involved in the Blue Prosperity Plan development process. The commercial fishing industry is an important voice, but not the only voice when it comes to Bermuda’s ocean. Their input has influenced the Blue Prosperity Plan, a holistic management strategy designed to protect our marine resources with as little disruption to livelihoods as possible. In this plan, 80% of Bermuda’s waters would remain open to fishing.

The BOPP team sought to engage commercial and recreational fishers at every step of the process. From including fishers on the Steering Committee, gathering detailed input via Ocean Use Surveys, hosting Ocean Village meetings, having 1:1 sessions for fishers with specific concerns, utilising citizen portals for feedback, posting ads in the Royal Gazette with FAQs, to hosting Pop-Ups, there has been ample opportunity for the fishing community in Bermuda to engage with the BOPP process.

Throughout the Plan’s development, recreational and commercial fishermen had opportunities to communicate their needs by participating in Ocean Village Groups, focus groups, and individual meetings, as well as highlighting the location of their “most highly valued” fishing grounds through the Ocean Use Survey. As more specific data was provided, the Blue Prosperity Plan was refined to minimise the impact on fishers when prioritising areas for protection.

Question 6

Will the Draft Blue Prosperity Plan benefit fishers?

Accepted Answer

While some fishing efforts would need to shift,  this will help ensure that the fishery is sustainable long into the future, fishing livelihoods will remain intact, and seafood will still be on our tables.

The Marine Spatial Plan designates “fisheries areas,” to prohibit development and other destructive activities to protect valuable habitat and fishing grounds. 
 
Protecting 20% of Bermuda’s waters, including important spawning grounds and nursery habitats like mangroves, seagrasses and patch reefs, provides safe havens for fish to reproduce and grow. These populations would then spill over into other areas and replenish fish stocks. The Marine Spatial Plan acts as an insurance policy to ensure that fishing will be possible for generations to come. While some areas are off limits, 80% of Bermuda’s waters, and 89.7% of the Bermuda platform, would still be open to fishing.

The Draft Blue Economy Strategy includes 6 goals for facilitating sustainable fisheries and aims to provide support to local sustainable fisheries projects.

Question 7

Will fishing from the rocks be allowed?

Accepted Answer

Yes, fishing from the rocks will still be allowed across the majority of Bermuda’s coastline. The Final Draft Blue Prosperity Plan proposes restrictions to a few areas along the coastline that include valuable nursery habitats (such as mangroves and seagrass) and the fish communities associated with them. View the maps to see what areas are proposed for protection: seasketch.org/bermudamsp/app

Question 8

How will the Blue Prosperity Plan support Bermuda’s maritime enforcement?

Accepted Answer

The Blue Prosperity Plan will coordinate and focus resources for enforcement to help protect against pollution, illegal, unreported & unregulated (IUU) fishing, and other environmental damage.

During public consultation on the Draft Blue Prosperity Plan, enforcement was a major topic. The plan aims to improve enforcement measures through:
Education and outreach: Public awareness campaigns, targeted education materials, and location-specific outreach are planned for Bermuda residents and visitors on topics, such as commercial and recreational fishing laws, area closures, and MPA boundaries will help promote and support compliance. 
Strategic partnerships: Support from partners including the UK Blue Belt Ocean Shield Programme will increase funding, training and resources for enforcement within Bermuda’s waters. This is a separate but complementary programme to enhance marine enforcement in Bermuda.
Agency collaboration: This will enhance coordination between various agencies within the Bermuda Government, including the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) Fisheries Enforcement Section, the Royal Bermuda Regiment Coast Guard and the Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre/Bermuda Radio.
Development of adaptive strategies: The Marine Resources Enforcement Strategy being developed by DENR includes recommendations for strengthened legislation and is informed by the best available data and public feedback. Adaptive management strategies will support the evolution of enforcement and compliance activities to ensure challenges are met with proportional actions.
Support and Implementation of emerging technologies: DENR, with the support of partners, is receiving assistance to test and deploy emerging technologies to enhance marine domain awareness. Emerging technologies include support for remote satellite surveillance and analytics, as well as tools to support the traceability of seafood products.

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