After 2 rounds of dive surveys and 3 community consultations, 2 Marine Protected Areas, Adams Bay and the West coast of Isle De Quatre have been identified for protection. These areas come with the support of the local fishing community in Paget Farm Bequia, as well as the evidence from the dive surveys showing spawning grounds for key species such as conch. The continued collaboration of the SVGEF , Blue Marine Foundation, Fisheries Services and local fisherfolk will work together to establish, protect and monitor the MPAs leading the conservation practices through local stewardship.

Using the previous community work and survey data built upon from the 2022 Sustainable Fisheries Management Project as well as the March 2024 Dive Surveys, this project aims to empower local fisherfolk to establish, protect and monitor their own community based MPAs.

The Previous survey work determined that Adams Bay and the West coast of Isle A Quatre has a significant population of juvenile conchs. This is information was presented and confirmed by the local fisherfolk both conch divers and other types of fishers who were in support of establishing the protected areas for a period of 5 years. One requested caveat for this establishment of protected areas was to allow on-shore rod fishing and surface netting (nets that do not touch the sea floor) for fishing boats to continue to maintain some livelihood within the MPAs.

This project will be an effort to build the consensus of the fishers toward their participation in establishing and abiding to the no-take agreement of the MPAs. While also incorporating chosen members of the fishing community to participate in the instillations and/or the continued monitoring as rangers

Looking ahead, signage and boundary markers will be installed to raise awareness and guide the community. The Wild Nursery Rangers will play a crucial role in monitoring the MPAs and ensuring compliance, providing local fisherfolk with alternative livelihoods. Follow-up surveys are planned to assess the effectiveness of the protected areas and explore additional nursery sites to further support sustainable fisheries management across SVG.