The Division has the following pieces of legislation to assist with the management and development of the sector:

1. The Maritime Areas Act (1983) – Act No. 15 of 1993, declares and establishes the marine area of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  This enabled the state to define the following areas: (1) Internal waters (2) Archipelagic waters (3) Territorial sea, (4) Contiguous Zone (5) Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (6) Continental shelf (7) Territorial Extent and (8) Safety Zone.
   
   
2. The Fisheries Act (1986) and Regulation (1987), which form part of the OECS harmonized legislation, cover: fisheries access agreements, local and foreign fishing licensing, fish processing establishments, fisheries research, fisheries enforcement and the registration of fishing vessels.  The legislation also specifies conservation measures such as prohibiting the use of an explosive, poison or other noxious substance for killing, stunning, disabling, or catching fish; closed seasons, gear restrictions, creation of marine reserves.  The legislation gives the Minister responsible for fisheries, the authority to create new regulations for the management of fisheries when necessary.
   
   
3. Fish Processing Regulations of 2001 drafted in response to international pressure for monitoring and controlling the quality of fish and fish products leaving and entering SVG.  The legislation makes provisions for the control of marketing, handling, transporting and storage of fish and the operation of fish processing establishments.
   
   
4. The High Seas Fishing Act of 2001, which provides the legal basis for the regulation for St. Vincent and the Grenadines registered vessels fishing on the High Seas.  The act provides for constant monitoring of these fishing vessels to produce accurate information which under provisions of the act is mandatory to be compliant to the International convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).