The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the future of Bermuda’s fisheries and the marine environment that sustains them.

In 2025, the Government made a commitment that it would work in good faith toward an agreement with the Fishermen’s Association of Bermuda (FAB) before proceeding with any new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and that is exactly what has been sought.

A Government spokesperson said: “Since then, the Ministry, along with the team at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), has met regularly with representatives of the fishing community, listened carefully to their concerns, and worked hard to shape a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that responds to their needs as far as reasonably possible.

“This work has been undertaken because the Government values Bermuda’s fishers, respects their knowledge and traditions, and recognises the important role they play in Bermuda’s economy, culture, and food security as stewards of the ocean.”

The spokesperson added: “At the same time, there is a responsibility to the wider public and to all stakeholders who depend on a healthy ocean. Bermuda’s reefs are not only central to marine life and fisheries, but they also provide enormous value to the country, with formal research showing that their total economic value is estimated at an average of $722 million (USD) per year, with a range of $487.7 million to $1.1 billion per year, as of 2010.

“That value includes tourism ($405m), coastal protection ($266m), recreation ($36.5m), and both commercial and recreational reef-associated fisheries ($4.9m).”

The Government’s aim has always been to find a balanced and practical way forward: one that protects Bermuda’s marine environment for future generations, supports the long-term health of Bermuda’s fisheries, and avoids unnecessary disruption to the current fishing community wherever possible.

This is why, in 2019, the Government committed to fully-protect 20% of Bermuda’s waters.

The design for Bermuda’s proposed MPA network was created following global science and best practices, tailored to Bermuda’s unique ocean environment, and reflects the needs of the community, with over 2,000 local ocean users contributing to the process.

No other stakeholder group has had more influence in shaping the design of the proposed MPA network than the fishing community.

Less than 0.1% of the proposed fully-protected areas fall within the waters where shallow-water fishing occurs, as the full 20% is distributed across Bermuda's Exclusive Economic Zone, being the waters that fall within Bermuda’s remit. Within the Bermuda Reef Platform, where fishing takes place, 90.4 percent remains open and accessible for fishing.

Fishing for pelagic species in the deeper waters around the Platform and Banks remains 100% open.

In addition, 22.1% of the nearshore is set aside as ‘Fisheries Areas’ specifically designed to safeguard fishing grounds, ensuring the ability to fish in key banks and other valued fishing grounds while limiting development and potentially harmful activities.

In 2024, 196 nations agreed that 30% ocean protection by 2030 is the minimum to keep ecosystems healthy and productive. Research demonstrates that full protection is the most beneficial approach to support ecosystem recovery and resilience to climate change, as it provides a ‘savings account’ for ocean areas to restore without extraction.

The spokesperson also noted: “Considering the fishing community, the Government of Bermuda set its target at 20%, already 10% below the global standard. To reduce this any further would place the entire plan to future-proof Bermuda’s fisheries and protect Bermuda’s waters for other use in jeopardy and would amount to doing nothing at all.

“Agreement remains the Government’s preference, and collaboration remains the Government’s approach. But it must also be ensured that Bermuda moves forward in a way that is fair, science-based, and in the best long-term interests of the whole country.”