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(…) Exports of wild birds are forbidden, in accordance with the CITES, and exports of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, as well as goods bearing the coat of arms or flag of St. Kitts and Nevis are restricted.

St. Kitts and Nevis is a member of various other IP-related treaties, such as the International Plant Protection Convention (ratified on 2 October 2005); the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity (11 September 2003); and the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (10 October 1986).

Assistance for fisheries focuses on expanding the use of fishing aggregate devices (FADs) and on providing training to fishermen. The authorities are concerned about potential changes in the distribution and structure of species, their habitats and the impact of extreme weather associated with abnormally high sea surface temperatures. They have deemed it necessary to explore adaptive measures to build resilience within the subsector, and protect the marine species in the surrounding waters from over-fishing. The Department of Marine Resources has taken steps to explore the viability of aquaculture on a wider scale following the success of the St. Kitts and Nevis Aquaculture Pilot Project (SNAPPER). Assistance has been received through the ACP FISH II Project, financed by the European Union to formulate an Aquaculture Development Strategy. St. Kitts and Nevis, together with other Caribbean countries has signed a memorandum of understanding endorsing the partnership between the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) and the Organization for Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Central American Isthmus (OSPESCA) for the conservation, management, and sustained development of marine life.

(…) The Government's strategy is to focus on high quality products, trying to keep reasonable prices. In this respect, the authorities have shown concern about the high cost of energy, which they deem has a profound impact on the capacity of the manufacturing sector to operate efficiently and expand its operations. To deal with this issue, the Ministry of International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the St. Kitts Investment Promotion Agency (SKIPA), with the assistance of the Caribbean Development Fund (CDF), have undertaken an initiative to conduct a comprehensive energy audit of the sector under the Manufacturers Competitiveness for Energy Efficiency (MACEE) Project. The project is expected to help identify areas for improving energy efficiency, for example by reducing leakages and waste, promoting energy conservation, and developing renewable and energy efficient technologies.

(…) The authorities consider coastal and ocean areas and their marine biological diversity as core national assets that also provide a range of essential environmental services that would be costly or impossible to restore or replace if damaged or lost.

In 2013, the Government issued a final draft of the policy and Action Plan. The overall goal for the policy is the effective and sustainable management of the marine environment and marine resources of St. Kitts and Nevis. The strategic objectives are to secure rights to marine resources; reform ocean governance; preserve and protect the marine environment; promote sustainable economic development; promote public awareness, participation, and accountability; increase knowledge and capacity building; and build resilience and managing for uncertainty.

The policy underscores the importance for the Government of managing marine resources use in a manner that aims at sharing the benefits arising from their utilization in a fair and equitable way, including by appropriate access to resources and by appropriate transfer of relevant technologies. In accordance with this, access to common marine resources for private profit should be priced to give a reasonable rate of return to the community. Charges for access to, use of and damage to marine resources should reflect the community interest and short- and long-term economic, environmental, social, and cultural costs and benefits.

The policy's specific goal for maritime transport is to make it safe, secure, clean, and internationally competitive. Strategic objectives for the sector include: (…) (iii) ensuring safety, security, and protection of the marine environment. (…) The safety, security, and protection of the marine environment objective will be achieved with measures to ensure that St. Kitts and Nevis’ flagged ships and foreign ships operating in St. Kitts and Nevis' waters operate in accordance with local and international maritime safety, security and environmental protection standards, including promulgating appropriate safety and marine protection legislation, and implementing the key international shipping treaties.

The policy also calls for the continued use and reinforcement of the Port State Control (PSC) regime through regional collaboration and by ensuring that PSC inspection targets are met.[100] The authorities have indicated that these targets are currently set at 15% of all ships making a port call. It also aims at promoting the development of domestic ferry services as an alternative transport mode, where practicable.

[100]: The PSC is a mechanism instituted through the IMO by which a state may conduct limited safety inspections of all foreign vessels calling at its ports to ensure their conformity to maritime safety, security, and pollution prevention standards.

(…) These realities have been further compounded by natural disasters and other adverse weather conditions experienced during the period under review. (…)