The Cuban government is taking steps to make fisheries more sustainable after scientists estimated that more than 40 percent of commercially important fish in its waters are overfished, threatening Cuba's fishing industry, food security for local populations, and marine biodiversity. A new emphasis is being put on conservation by authorizing the use of fishing cooperatives, and exploring a new law that would enact science-based catch limits and reduce illegal fishing. A new community-based fisheries initiative is being supported at the local level by the Environmental Defense Fund, a MacArthur grantee, to provide the necessary scientific support to the project.
