The Bahamas Spiny Lobster Fishery

Assessments

The MSC Fisheries Standard is used to assess if a fishery is well-managed and sustainable. More about how the standard is used, what is assessed and the process.

Interested in contributing as a stakeholder? See how you can engage with a fishery assessment.

• Recently uploaded documents

  Documents	Published On	Files
  Surveillance report	28 Nov 2025	1 files
  Surveillance audit announcement	01 Jul 2025	1 files
  Public certification report	31 Jul 2024	1 files
  Public certification report announcement	31 Jul 2024	1 files
  Timeline: Assessment timeline	29 Jul 2024	1 files
  Final Draft Report and determination	08 Jul 2024	1 files
  Final Draft Report and determination announcement	08 Jul 2024	1 files

• General Fishery Documents

  Document Title	File Type	Published On
  Stakeholder Announcement: Certificate expired	PDF (209.13 Kb)	10 May 2024
  Variation Response	PDF (212.00 Kb)	01 Dec 2023
  Variation Request	PDF (306.63 Kb)	23 Nov 2023
  Stakeholder Announcement: Delayed Year 4 surveillance	PDF (492.78 Kb)	01 Feb 2023
  Variation Request	PDF (68.04 Kb)	09 Jan 2018
  Variation Response	PDF (509.14 Kb)	09 Jan 2018
  Variation Response	PDF (509.14 Kb)	09 Jan 2018
  Variation Response	PDF (241.93 Kb)	10 Mar 2017
  Variation Request	PDF (85.97 Kb)	22 Feb 2017
  Other document: Change to assessment team	PDF (237.01 Kb)	31 Jan 2017
  Other document: P1 assessor CV	PDF (218.96 Kb)	31 Jan 2017

• Reassessment v2.3 (started 2023)

  • Units of Certification

    MSC UoC Number	Species	Gear type	Ocean Area
    UoC-1516	Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)	Miscellaneous Gear: Hooks and spears	31 (Atlantic, Western Central)
    UoC-1517	Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)	Traps - Pots: Lobster traps	31 (Atlantic, Western Central)

  Public Certification Report

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Public certification report	31 Jul 2024	1 files
  Public certification report announcement	31 Jul 2024	1 files

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  Public Comment Draft Report

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Public Comment Draft Report	05 Jun 2024	1 files
  Public Comment Draft Report announcement	05 Jun 2024	1 files

  Other Documents	Published on	Files
  Certificate Holder Forced and Child Labour Policies, Practices and Measures Template	17 Jun 2024	1 files

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  Peer review

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Proposed peer reviewers	20 Sep 2023	1 files

  Other Documents	Published on	Files
  Stakeholder Announcement: Accepted variation	08 Nov 2023	1 files
  Stakeholder Announcement: Shortlisted peer reviewers	20 Sep 2023	1 files
  Variation Request	03 Nov 2023	1 files
  Variation Response	07 Nov 2023	1 files

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  Announcement Comment Draft Report and stakeholder input

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Announcement Comment Draft Report	02 May 2023	1 files

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  Final Draft Report and determination

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Final Draft Report and determination	08 Jul 2024	1 files
  Final Draft Report and determination announcement	08 Jul 2024	1 files

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  Fishery announcement

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Scope declaration template	02 May 2023	1 files
  Use of the RBF	02 May 2023	1 files
  Fishery announcement template	02 May 2023	1 files

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  Timeline Documents

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Assessment timeline	29 Jul 2024	1 files

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• Surveillance Audit (started 2025)

  • Units of Certification

    MSC UoC Number	Species	Gear type	Ocean Area
    UoC-1516	Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)	Miscellaneous Gear: Hooks and spears	31 (Atlantic, Western Central)
    UoC-1517	Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)	Traps - Pots: Lobster traps	31 (Atlantic, Western Central)

  Ongoing surveillance

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Surveillance audit announcement	01 Jul 2025	1 files
  Surveillance report	28 Nov 2025	1 files

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• Initial assessment (started 2017)

  • Units of Certification

    MSC UoC Number	Species	Gear type	Ocean Area
    UoC-1516	Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)	Miscellaneous Gear: Hooks and spears	31 (Atlantic, Western Central)
    UoC-1517	Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)	Traps - Pots: Lobster traps	31 (Atlantic, Western Central)

  Public certification report and certificate issue

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Public certification report	03 Aug 2018	1 files
  Public certification report announcement	03 Aug 2018	1 files

  Other Documents	Published on	Files
  Certificate Holder Forced and Child Labour Policies, Practices and Measures Template	22 Jul 2019	1 files

  ---

  Final assessment report and determination

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Final report and determination	12 Jul 2018	1 files
  Final report and determination announcement	12 Jul 2018	1 files

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  Public review of the draft assessment report

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Public comment draft report	31 May 2018	1 files
  Public comment draft report announcement	31 May 2018	1 files

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  Client and peer review

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Proposed peer reviewers	22 Feb 2018	1 files

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  Fishery announcement, stakeholder identification and assessment team formation

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Fishery announcement template	16 Mar 2017	1 files

  Other Documents	Published on	Files
  Other document: Revised Timeline	08 Dec 2017	1 files
  Stakeholder Announcement: 9 month PCDR deadline passed - request for new information	17 Oct 2017	1 files
  Stakeholder Announcement: Revised assessment announcement	21 Mar 2017	1 files
  Variation Request	09 Feb 2017	1 files
  Variation Response	21 Feb 2017	1 files

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  Timeline Documents

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Fishery announcement, stakeholder identification and assessment team formation	12 Jan 2017	1 files

  ---

• Surveillance Audit (started 2023)

  • Units of Certification

    MSC UoC Number	Species	Gear type	Ocean Area
    UoC-1516	Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)	Miscellaneous Gear: Hooks and spears	31 (Atlantic, Western Central)
    UoC-1517	Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)	Traps - Pots: Lobster traps	31 (Atlantic, Western Central)

  Ongoing surveillance

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Surveillance audit announcement	16 Jun 2023	1 files
  Surveillance report	06 Jun 2024	1 files

  Other Documents	Published on	Files
  Certificate Holder Forced and Child Labour Policies, Practices and Measures Template	17 Jun 2024	1 files
  Stakeholder Announcement: Accepted variation	26 Sep 2023	1 files
  Stakeholder Announcement: Stakeholder advisory	07 Dec 2023	1 files
  Variation Request	19 Sep 2023	1 files
  Variation Response	22 Sep 2023	1 files

  ---

• Surveillance Audit (started 2022)

  • Units of Certification

    MSC UoC Number	Species	Gear type	Ocean Area
    UoC-1516	Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)	Miscellaneous Gear: Hooks and spears	31 (Atlantic, Western Central)
    UoC-1517	Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)	Traps - Pots: Lobster traps	31 (Atlantic, Western Central)

  Ongoing surveillance

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Surveillance audit announcement	21 Jun 2022	1 files
  Surveillance report	27 Nov 2022	1 files

  ---

• Surveillance Audit (started 2021)

  • Units of Certification

    MSC UoC Number	Species	Gear type	Ocean Area
    UoC-1516	Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)	Miscellaneous Gear: Hooks and spears	31 (Atlantic, Western Central)
    UoC-1517	Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)	Traps - Pots: Lobster traps	31 (Atlantic, Western Central)

  Ongoing surveillance

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Surveillance audit announcement	10 Jun 2021	1 files
  Surveillance report	14 Oct 2021	1 files

  ---

• Surveillance Audit (started 2019)

  • Units of Certification

    MSC UoC Number	Species	Gear type	Ocean Area
    UoC-1516	Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)	Miscellaneous Gear: Hooks and spears	31 (Atlantic, Western Central)
    UoC-1517	Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)	Traps - Pots: Lobster traps	31 (Atlantic, Western Central)

  Ongoing surveillance

  Documents	Published on	Files
  Surveillance audit announcement	03 Sep 2019	1 files
  Surveillance report	20 Dec 2019	1 files

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