Bermuda’s waters represent a valuable natural resource that belongs to all of us. Preserving our ocean environment and governing its sustainable use is critical to maintaining a healthy fishery and protecting our invaluable reef system.

Our waters are not “ring-fenced” and immune from what is happening globally. They are exposed to all the same stress factors that are impacting the world’s oceans, such as climate change and pollution.

The Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme has been seven years in the making. The extensive research and consultation done over this time have led to the development of the Marine Spatial Plan, the first of its kind for Bermuda.

The aim of this is to provide the legal and policy framework, funding access and governance structure for the long-term management of the waters within Bermuda’s EEZ. It also ensures that 20 per cent of Bermuda’s marine waters are fully protected marine-protected areas, which would serve to protect commercial species and help to preserve our entire marine ecosystem, which support a wide range of stakeholders.

One of the principal tenets of BOPP has been wide consultation with the local community, including significant public outreach over several years, which has all helped to formulate a plan that fits for Bermuda.

This has included the “Ocean Village” stakeholder groups with about 150 members representing the island’s various marine interests. Ocean-use surveys have been conducted involving 1,494 participants, and more than 180 formal public comments have been reviewed and incorporated into the plan.

An 18-member steering committee and science committee comprising 15 local scientists have also been part of this collaborative approach.

The MSP seeks to address many of the concerns that have been raised by stakeholders and the public. One area highlighted was the need for more resources for active enforcement of protected areas, as well as better legislation to deal with offenders. In response, the government, with BOPP’s assistance, has developed a national Marine Resources Enforcement Strategy. Improved coordination and awareness have already contributed to increased fisheries enforcement activity with seven successful prosecutions in the past two years.

This is in large part thanks to the newly enacted Royal Bermuda Regiment Coastguard which conducted about 1,100 patrols in 2025. Our Coastguard continues to build out as we have seen with the recent opening of the Great Bay Coastguard Station in the East End.

Data collection was also cited as an area for improvement. Indeed, the MSP has been informed by a Science Committee comprising local ocean and reef experts.

There exists the baseline ecological and fisheries-related data required to justify stronger marine protection and other management actions proposed in the MSP. This is supplemented by ongoing research by both the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and independent scientists.

BOPP has also developed the Shellcatch platform to improve catch reporting and fisheries data management. This became operational in 2024 and covers all aspects of the commercial fishery plus recreational lobster diving and spearfishing.

Further data collection will be available once the MSP is put into action, as this will unlock the funding necessary for the required additional resources.

The local scientists who contributed to the MSP agree unanimously that MPAs are critical to the health of our fisheries and overall marine environment.

Independent monitoring shows that most local predatory reef fish populations (including commercially important species) remain below critical ecological thresholds. This is concerning because populations at these levels become far more vulnerable to collapse from additional stressors such as disease or habitat decline.

The size and location of these MPAs have been the result of local scientific input as well as input from key stakeholders, including the fishing community. The end result is that less than 0.1 per cent of the proposed fully protected areas fall within the waters where shallow-water fishing occurs, and the plan leaves almost 80 per cent of offshore waters and nearly 90 per cent of the most popular nearshore waters open to fishing.

The proposed MPAs also serve a broader purpose in that the network design will help to strengthen our climate resilience by protecting reefs and mangroves that help to buffer coastal infrastructure from increasingly severe storms. They can also contribute to enhancing our tourism product by preserving the healthy marine environments that are a large part of Bermuda’s appeal.

It is worth noting that Bermuda is currently part of a historic project to create the first MPA in international waters within the Sargasso Sea, thanks to the recent ratification of the High Seas Treaty by the UN. However, we are still not addressing the proper protection and governance of the waters within our own EEZ.

The Marine Spatial Plan is not just about protection but also addresses sustainable use of our waters. It will establish the Ocean Fund to support sustainable ocean management and blue economy investment, it will create a formal legal framework for marine development review and environmental impact assessments, and it will provide additional funding sources to support implementation of its many objectives, such as more enforcement and data collection.

After adoption, the MSP includes mechanisms for continued stakeholder input and adaptive management, ensuring the Plan remains responsive to community needs and new information.

Despite the many years of comprehensive stakeholder engagement and public input, the legislation to put the plan into action and unlock the long-term funding and additional resources it offers has not occurred. We believe it is time for this plan to move forward. Bermuda cannot afford to delay further and we are at the point where we must take action.

We ask the Government to pass the Marine Development Act, which would allow for the legal adoption of the Marine Spatial Plan. We have a duty to ensure our waters have the proper protection they deserve for future generations of Bermudians.

• Adam Farrell is a member of the board of the Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce