Odinga, J.

The recent status and trends in the Saba Bank fisheries up to and including 2015 port sampling data have been previously reported by de Graaf et al. (2017) and a policy brief has also been written based on those results (Debrot and de Graaf (2018). The purpose of this report is to update recent catch trends in the Saba Bank fisheries with the data from 2016 and 2017.

For the lobster fishery (Panulirus argus), the number of fishing trips (and number of traps set) gradually grew from 2012 to 2015 but has since leveled off. The resulting landings of lobster have shown a similar pattern of increase up to 2015 but have now leveled off at around 70 tons annually. Increasing landings per unit effort indicate that the formerly reduced lobster abundance, which had been declining since 2000 and which had reached its lowest level in 2011, has subsequently increased relatively steadily all through 2017, and now has increased back to levels close to those of 2007. The average size of lobsters taken, continues to be large, which is favourable to gradual stock recovery.

Mixed landings of reef fish in the lobster fishery have fluctuated between 10 and 20 tons annually. The LPUE abundance index in bycatch species also shows a decrease of about 35% from high levels in 2000 and 2007 to lowest levels in 2011, followed by an increase up to 2013, after which landings have levelled off.

In the redfish trap fishery (Lutjanus spp.), the number of trips in the redfish trap fisheries had grown significantly during the period 2012 to 2015. In 2016 effort increased again to 625 trips. In 2017 the exerted fishing effort dropped down to about 350 trips, a level seen last in 2012. The landings of redfish have fluctuated over this period, with lower values in 2012 and 2017 and higher values in 2014 and 2016. The LPUE abundance index shows a decrease by 50% between 2007 and 2011, followed by an increase to slightly higher and constant values between 2012 and 2016, while in 2017 the LPUE abundance index continued increasing. The only snapper for which sufficient data was available, was the silk snapper, Lutjanus vivanus. Average size of the silk snappers landed continued its increasing trend, indicative of gradual stock recovery. The drop in snapper landings, despite the higher LPUE in 2017, can especially be ascribed to the 6-month closed season implemented that year (Graaf et al. 2017).

The overall conclusion is that for both the lobster and redfish stocks, stock status, based on the LPUE index and size-structure trends have continued in developing favorably. Bottom drop longline, pelagic and bycatch landings have remained much less important and have shown no significant new developments.

There are two matters of concern that require follow up. Firstly, the positive prognosis for the snapper “stock” status may partly be based on targeting geographically different stocks as well as different species. Hence the data as collected and analyzed may actually be presenting a too optimistic assessment. To evaluate whether this is actually the case will require more detailed analysis based on individual species, as well as more accurate geographical recording of catches than as currently practiced. The second matter of concern regards the fate of the traps that were in the water on the Bank when the hurricanes Irma and Maria struck the area in September 2017. If trap loss was large, this may lead to higher detrimental impacts of ghost fishing in the coming years.

The Saba Bank Management Unit (SBMU) is responsible for the operational management of the Saba Bank. Its current tasks are to perform scientific fisheries monitoring, as well as conduct and support additional scientific research on the Saba Bank. The SBMU also assists other activities within the Saba Conservation Foundation, mainly with regards to the Saba Marine Park. Its ultimate goal is to support and promote the conservation of marine biodiversity on the Saba Bank.

For its fisheries monitoring and most other scientific research projects the SBMU collaborates with IMARES (Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies). The tasks within the SBMU are carried out by the Saba Bank Park Officer in close cooperation with the Saba Bank Captain and staff of the Saba Conservation Foundation. Interns and graduates from various universities in the Netherlands, mainly Wageningen University and Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, assist in some additional project activities.

The Saba Bank for the larger part falls within EEZ territory of the Kingdom of The Netherlands and is governed by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. The committee for the joint management of the Marine Biodiversity and Fisheries of the Dutch Caribbean EEZ (EEZ Committee) provides policy advice regarding the Saba Bank to the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. Through this document the SBMU reports to the EEZ Committee on its activities in 2016. 

Elasmobranch populations (sharks, rays and skates) worldwide have declined drastically over the past decades and the situation in the Dutch Caribbean is no different. In Sint Maarten waters a shark sanctuary was established in 2011 and will remain in effect until 2021. In this period the Nature Foundation Sint Maarten is required to compile data on the status of elasmobranch populations to demonstrate the effects of these regulations. A stereo[BRUV survey conducted from March till May 2015 has successfully provided baseline information to enable a future assessment of the effectiveness of the shark sanctuary. The results from this baseline study can be compared with other surveys in the Caribbean to provide further insights into the status of elasmobranchs in the region and compare effects of legislation and management measures. The immediate results from this study have given insights into the relative abundance, species composition and distribution of elasmobranchs across different management zones around Sint Maarten. The widely used sampling technique Baited Remote Underwater stereo[Video (stereo[BRUV) has been used to collect data over 113 deployments. Three different shark species were identified, Carcharhinus perezii (Caribbean reef shark), Ginglymostoma cirratum (nurse shark) and Galeocerdo cuvier (tiger shark) and two different ray species, Dasyatis americana (southern stingray) and Aetobatus narinari (spotted eagle ray). Relative abundance of D. americana was highest of all elasmobranch species in this survey and was found widely distributed across management zones and habitat types. All sharks measured in this study were juveniles, of which C. perezii and G. cirratum have been observed in relatively higher abundances inside the marine park compared to the area outside the marine park. Especially the Conservation Zone within the marine park has shown significant differences in the presence of these species compared to other management zones. This should however be treated with caution as the majority of deployments in the Conservation Zone consisted of reef habitat, for which both species have a preference. Furthermore, previous tourist[driven shark[feeding excursions around Sint Maarten may have an influence on their distribution. This survey on its own is not elaborate enough to provide supporting evidence towards an expansion of the existing marine park. However, the significant numbers of juvenile C. perezii and G. cirratum inside the marine park provide an indication that the shallow coastal waters with high coral reef cover inside the marine park provide an important and protective habitat for these species. These findings, coupled with the effects of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) on shark populations, provide grounds for a continued protection and conservation of sharks through additional management measures in the marine park. For the juvenile C. perezii, an endemic species to the Caribbean, these grounds are even more solid by providing a spillover effect to adjacent areas around Sint Maarten.