BELIZE CITY -- The executive committee of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) says it is working on "legal instruments" to strengthen regional cooperation for the conservation, management and sustainable use of the spiny lobster and the protection of its habitat.

The 22ndmeeting of the (CRFM) executive, which concluded Friday in Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines, saw a two-day deliberation on matters such as coral reef management, the lobster fishery, and cooperation between CARICOM States and the French Islands in fisheries.

"The Committee addressed a number of important regional initiatives designed to ensure sustainable use of our fisheries resources and protect the marine ecosystems," said Milton Haughton, CRFM Executive Director.

The CRFM executive committee consists of representatives of six member states of the regional inter-governmental fisheries organisation. The membership of the committee is drawn from the Caribbean Fisheries Forum, a group of government officials, fishers and representatives of private companies from CARICOM states tasked with providing technical support to the CRFM.