Final Report: USAID Regional Program for the Management of Aquatic Resources and Economic Alternatives .

The five-year, $13.9 million USAID Regional Program for the Management of Aquatic Resources and Economic Alternatives, implemented by Chemonics, was developed to strengthen coastal-marine resource management and biodiversity conservation while improving the livelihoods of local populations.

The USAID Regional Program partnered successfully with local populations, like artisan fishermen and indigenous communities, as well as non-profit organizations, private sector, and government authorities to support coastal-marine biodiversity conservation. The program also implemented improved fishing practices to reduce the use of harmful practices like scuba diving for lobster, explosives, and illegal nets that adversely affect biological diversity and often threaten the lives of the fishermen using them. The program improved management, legal enforcement, fishery practices, and promoted sustainable economic alternatives, and also solidified market linkages to more environmentally conscious wholesalers and retailers to incentivize industrial lobster fleets and artisan fishermen to continue to utilize improved fishing practices.