Bacalia Group operates six marinas on Puerto Rico’s east coast through Grand Caribbean Marinas LLC. The region’s marina infrastructure had historically operated through disconnected sites, with limited coordination between marina users, fishing cooperatives, environmental agencies, tourism operators and local communities. Economic disruption, hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic added pressure to the coastal economy and its operating infrastructure.

Bacalia consolidated the marinas into a coordinated network and introduced a structured stakeholder engagement model. This included a shared stakeholder map, defined engagement responsibilities, named owners, regular working sessions and annual preparedness activities. Environmental and regulatory agencies, fishing cooperatives, tourism operators, municipalities and community representatives were involved in planning and implementation.

The network focused engagement on reef and mangrove protection, water quality, sustainable fishing, eco-tourism capacity, public access, safety, hurricane preparedness and local employment. Commitments were translated into measurable actions, including a sustainable fishing charter programme developed with fishing cooperatives and eco-tourism itineraries created with tourism partners.

The approach illustrates how coordinated governance and early collaboration between public agencies, businesses and communities can strengthen coastal resilience, support local economic activity and improve the sustainability of marina operations.