Taquet, M.

This summary tackles the development of fisheries in the Caribbean using FADs. It highlights the principal causes which explain why, in spite of more than thirty years of experimenting, fishing on FADs has not developed as much as had been hoped. Whereas the deep-sea production of pelagic fish by the continental countries of the region has considerably increased since the early eighties, that of the Lesser Antilles has grown more slowly. Anchored FADs have given the boats of the small-scale fisheries from three islands (Guadeloupe, Martinique and Curaçao) access to these pelagic resources. The various modes of development and management of the FADs observed in each island are described. The first available data are used to provide some indications of the effects of the various strategies implemented and the changes induced by this new fishing technique.