The Fishermen’s Association of Bermuda has submitted a counterproposal to the Government that includes a ring-shaped, no-fishing, marine-protected area beyond where local fishing practices take place, The Royal Gazette has learnt.

The group, which takes the view that the Blue Prosperity Plan under the Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme should not be adopted as suggested, has proposed a “fully-protected outer ring”, about 15 miles wide, constituting 20 per cent of the island’s exclusive economic zone where “everything inside” would be “100 per cent managed with appropriate protection levels”.

FAB’s proposal said: “With a ring, it’s harder for foreign boats to justify entry, particularly if the interior is strictly managed, ie, restricted to Bermuda-licensed and managed boats only.

“Thus the entire EEZ is protected from foreign fishing encroachment. It sends a clear international message that Bermuda’s entire EEZ is protected and effectively managed.”

Foreign commercial fishing is already illegal in Bermuda’s EEZ under the Fisheries Act 1972.

Asked about the ring’s effectiveness in protecting fish stocks, a spokeswoman for FAB added: “The outer ring is really more about enforcement and communication than it is about generating a measurable improvement in marine ecology by taking away fishing pressure.”

The FAB’s proposal said the 100 per cent management would be achieved through gear restrictions, data collection requirements, terms and conditions — all consistent with the way Bermuda’s specialised fisheries are managed at present.

It said enforcement would be assisted through Britain’s Blue Belt programme.

The FAB has rejected aspects of the BOPP, including the goal to create “pockets” of marine protected areas for 20 per cent of the island’s near and offshore waters.

A spokeswoman for the FAB said: “In the past, negotiations always got to the same point. They would promise all the things we suggested — bag and size limits, recreational licensing, enforcement … and then Government would proceed with the no-fishing MPAs.

“There was never any willingness on their part to consider that maybe other tools in the toolbox might be better. That’s the one thing we’ve been asking for this whole time.”

The BOPP’s Blue Prosperity Plan combines MPAs with general management such as licensing and regulations.

The Government has said that the design for a network of MPAs was created following “global science and best practices … with over 2,000 local ocean users contributing to the process”.

It earlier explained: “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.”

Speaking to the platform, on the shallower inshore areas, the FAB’s proposal says there is value in mapping work — carried out as part of the BOPP — in that it identifies areas such as seagrass and coral beds that should be protected from development and pollution.

On marine-protected areas, it said better data is required to identify where fishing is a primary cause of degradation, or aggregation areas that are over-exploited.

If over harvesting of a particular species is identified, the proposal said work should then be done with fishers to identify the best means of mitigation, potentially including no-take zones.

The FAB said there were no international obligations or funding contingencies that required full protection in Bermuda, according to a response to a public access to information request made to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

However, a memorandum of understanding between the Bermuda Government, the Waitt Institute and the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences stipulated that 20 per cent of the EEZ becomes fully protected.

The FAB’s proposal said: “FAB maintains that we can have an MSP, with marine-protected areas that still allow fishing, until better local data — including stock levels and how much are we taking — exists to determine if banning fishing in certain areas is the best tool in the toolbox.”

In May 2025, the Government said the input of fishermen would be taken into account before the island moved ahead on setting aside 20 per cent of its waters as fully protected.

Jaché Adams, the Minister of Public Works and Environment, said at that time: “Our aim is to reach a solution with the fishermen on these issues before designating any additional protected areas.”

A document by the BOPP called Future Proofing Bermuda’s Ocean — the Data and Process Behind Bermuda’s Marine Spatial Plan, July 2026, said MPAs “work together in a network to provide healthy ecosystem ‘pockets’ to help recover from external threats”.

It said: “They replenish fish stocks, protect nurseries, create jobs, grow tourism revenue while ensuring long-term sustainable use of natural resources.”