Fisheries

Species Action Plan Nassau Grouper

Action Plan for Nassau Grouper consists of:

  • Threats: overfishing, invasive species, climate change
  • Management goals
  • Recommendations: management, legislation, enforcement, science and monitoring, stakeholders, networking, information-education
  • Gaps: •population data not available for the Dutch Caribbean, weak island legislation, CITES designation, CMS designation
  • General Information: description and biology
Date
2020
Data type
Other resources
Theme
Governance
Geographic location
Aruba
Bonaire
Saba
Saba bank
St. Maarten
Author
Image

Beleidsvisie landbouw, veeteelt en visserij Bonaire 2014-2029

In de economie van Bonaire neemt de agrarische sector een bescheiden plaats in. Naar schatting is minder dan 1% van de economisch actieve bevolking full time werkzaam in de sectoren landbouw, veeteelt en visserij. Er zijn twee fulltime boeren en naar schatting 20 full time vissers.
Desalniettemin heeft landbouw, veeteelt en visserij een sociaaleconomische functie voor veel mensen. Inkomsten uit landbouw, veeteelt en visserij zijn een aanvulling op het salaris of pensioen.
De huidige landbouw, veeteelt en visserij wordt op een extensieve wijze beoefend. De investeringen en de opbrengsten zijn laag.
De lokale landbouw voorziet in een klein deel aan de behoefte van de markt op het gebied van groenten en fruit. De veeteelt voorziet in eieren en geiten- en schapenvlees. Alleen voor eieren is Bonaire zelfvoorzienend. De visserij is voornamelijk seizoensgebonden en voorziet de lokale markt. Er wordt ook vis geïmporteerd.
De loslopende geiten, schapen, varkens en ezels brengen ook economische schade toe aan Bonaire.

  • Schade aan de natuur en milieu door overbegrazing, met erosie en sedimentatie en vervuiling van het koraalrif tot gevolg
  • Schade voor bedrijven en particulieren, die moeten investeren in het bouwen van hekken en omheiningen rond erven en percelen.
  • Gevaarlijke situaties in het verkeer.

Het op korte termijn beschikbaar komende gezuiverde afvalwater en het rond de Dienst LVV beschikbare terrein bieden echter kansen voor geïrrigeerde land- en tuinbouw op een voor Bonaire ongekende schaal. Hierdoor wordt ook duurzame veeteelt mogelijk.
Deze Beleidsvisie biedt kansen voor de economie, zoals duurzame en multifunctionele landbouw, veeteelt en visserij en een leefbaar en aantrekkelijk platteland. Door deze kansen komen er nieuwe investeringsmogelijkheden voor het bedrijfsleven.

Date
2014
Data type
Other resources
Theme
Governance
Geographic location
Bonaire

Udate on the 2012-2018 trends in the St.Eustatius fisheries

This report presents an overview of the trends in St Eustatius fisheries based on the fisheries data collected on the island during 2012-2018. The fishery on St Eustatius remains mostly conducted by small open boasts with outboard engines. The number of fishing trips carried out by the fleet increased over 2014 peaking in 2015 with roughly 100 trips per months, and subsequently decreased in the following years to an average of 25 trips per month in 2018.

The main activity is a lobster fishery using traps, also catching a mix of reef fish. This fishery is responsible for nearly 70% of the lobster landings on St Eustatius. The trend in the annual landings in this fishery broadly follows the trends in the fishing effort, with landings reaching 30 tonnes in 2015 and decreasing to 11 tonnes in 2018. Landings of lobsters from the trap fishery show a strong seasonality with higher landings from September to March, and low landings during June-July. The abundance index (derived by modelling the landings per trip) indicates an overall increase in abundance from 2012 to 2017, and an apparent decrease in lobster abundance in 2018. The average carapace length (CL) shows interannual variations without any specific trend, but is on average 95 mm for females and 102.5 for males. This means that an average of 41% of the lobsters are landed below the legal size limit (95 mm). This problem is especially acute for females of which 56% of the landings are of sublegal size.

The species composition of the bycatch of reef fish in the lobster traps is very diverse, and is dominated by Acanthuridae (Blue Tang, Doctorfish, Surgeonfish), Ostraciidae (Honeycomb and Scrawled Cowfish) and Serranidae (Coney and Red Hind). The trends in the reef fish bycatch in the lobster traps also followed the trend in effort, with values ranging from 2.5 to 9.9 tonnes caught per year. The biomass index calculated from the catch per trip suggests a decrease in fish abundance between 2014 and 2016 and a small increase thereafter. Length frequency data for the main fish species caught in the lobster traps do not show any notable changes over the period studied.

The second most important fishing activities after trap fishing are scuba diving and free diving. Both activities catch lobster and fish, but while lobster and fish (mainly coney, red hind and lionfish) are in equal proportion in the landings from scuba diving, landings from free diving are largely dominated by lobsters. The lobster abundance index calculated from the catches per trip in free and scuba diving shows an increase from 2012 to 2016, and a sharp decrease thereafter. This is overall the same pattern as seen in trap-caught lobsters. The difference with the trend in the abundance index calculated based on trap data might be explained by spatial and depth differences in the distribution of the fishing effort between those fisheries. Scuba divers also conduct a fishery targeted on conch, representing roughly 40% of the trips. Estimates of the annual conch landings are very variable, and likely to be fairly uncertain due to the lack of information from logbooks in some years. The mean length of the conch landed appears to be stable over time, at 24.5 cm and 23.7 cm for females and males respectively.

Next to the traps and diving fisheries, different line fisheries are conducted on St Eustatius. A handline fishery on reef fish produced landings between 1.4 and 4.9 tonnes per year in the period 2014-2017, but with much lower estimates in 2018, mainly due to a drop in effort for this year. Large pelagic fish are also caught by trolling, with landings varying between 0.5 and 2.3 tonnes per year.
Our main recommendations in terms of both management and research and monitoring are as follows:
- Improve control of and compliance with lobster size-limit regulations.
- Develop a FAD fishery management plan as part of a St. Eustatius fisheries development plan.
- Improve port sampling monitoring and subsampling intensity to cover at least one third of the trips dedicated to each fishing metiér.
- Conduct a closer study on both the Coney and the Red Hind. Do this by combining more intensive port sampling and fisheries independent studies on the distribution and abundance of these species around St. Eustatius.

Date
2020
Data type
Research report
Theme
Research and monitoring
Report number
c031/20
Geographic location
St. Eustatius
Image

Raw fisheries data

Raw data of landings of fisheries on Saba. The data include: triplogs, fishing area, catch, fishing method, species composition, whale sightings, etc.

Please contact the DCBD administrator for more information.

 

 

Date
2019
Data type
Raw data
Theme
Research and monitoring
Geographic location
Saba
Saba bank
Image

Raw fisheries monitoring data on St. Eustatius (2017)

Raw data of fisheries monitoring activities and analysis. 

Please read this report for the analysis and outcomes.

 

 

 

Date
2017
Data type
Raw data
Theme
Research and monitoring
Tags
Geographic location
St. Eustatius

St. Eustatius fiesheries monitoring report 2017

Based on the fisheries data collected for 2017, St. Eustatius fishery continues to be a small-scale coastal fishery as described by Sybesma et al. (1993) and de Graaf et al. (2015). Lobster and fish landings for 2017 (52 metric tonnes kg and 17 metric tonnes respectively) were considerably more when compared to the 2012-2015 results of de Graaf et al. (2015). Fishing activity across the 12 fishing zones has remained the same since 2012. No activity was recorded at the Fish Aggregation Devices for 2017. Lobster traps were the most common gear used during the period followed by SCUBA. Lobster landings are seasonal with greater landings from January to February and November to December. Morphometric data collected for the Caribbean spiny lobster from 9 % of recorded lobster fishing trips, revealed that 28 % of males and 41 % of females were undersized. The average carapace length of females (97 mm) was close to the size limit (95 mm), which is concerning. An assessment of the lobster stock may be necessary to determine stock stability as 8 % of landed females were berried. Length frequency data for mixed reef fish was collected for 26 % of fishing trips. Large grouper species were rarely observed during port sampling with red hind being the dominant overall grouper species observed showing no seasonality throughout the period based on catch composition. Surgeonfish and the small groupers accounted for 44 % of the sampled catch by number (of individuals) while squirrelfish and the small groupers accounted for 46 % by weight. Pelagic species made up 4 % of landings by weight and < 1 % by number. Parrotfish in both weight and number accounted for 3 %. Parrotfish populations appear to be in a stable state as average length of species landed were greater than the average for each species across the Caribbean. When compared to other studies across the Caribbean, the 2017 data suggest that Statia’s parrotfish population seem to experience structurally low fishing pressure. Queen conch landings have remained steady over the last five years. Assessment of the conch morphometric data (39 % of total landings) suggests that increased harvesting has not yet had a measurable impact on population structure of St. Eustatius’s queen conch stock. The proposed annual combined commercial and recreational quota for 2015-2017 (4 % of estimated population size per year) nor the precautionary limit (8 % of estimated population size) recommended by the non-detrimental findings of 2014 was not exceeded during 2015-2017.

Find the raw data for this report here.

Date
2017
Data type
Research report
Theme
Research and monitoring
Tags
Geographic location
St. Eustatius
Image

Update on the 2016-2017 catch trends in the Saba Bank fisheries

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.

Date
2018
Data type
Research report
Theme
Research and monitoring
Report number
C083/18
Geographic location
Saba bank

Saba Bank video documentary

Video documentary describing the importance of the Saba Bank as a natural resource for the island of Saba, including underwater footage and interviews with fishermen and managers.

Date
2017
Data type
Media
Theme
Education and outreach
Geographic location
Saba bank
Author
Image

Shell Lip Thickness Is the Most Reliable Proxy to Sexual Maturity in Queen Conch (Lobatus gigas) of Port Honduras Marine Reserve, Belize

Queen conch (Lobatus gigas) is an important food source and export product for Belize, where extraction is regulated by shell length (SL) and market clean weight (MCW) limits. However, lip thickness (LT) limits are used to manage juvenile mortality and reduce risk of growth overfishing in other countries. Empirical studies suggest relationships between LT and sexual maturity vary spatially and need to be determined locally. This study was conducted to determine the most reliable, easily measurable proxy indicator(s) of maturity and associated target size limits in L. gigas that can effectively restrict harvest of juveniles. Morphological measures (SL, LT, lip width, unprocessed meat weight, MCW, operculum dimensions), gonadosomatic index (GSI) and histological evaluations were recorded from L. gigas collected in PHMR before, during, and after the L. gigas closed season. Upon determining Period 2 (during closed season) as the peak reproductive period, relationships between these variables in Period 2 were examined. No relationship was found in males between SL and maturity, and was weak in females, whereas there were significant curvilinear relationships between LT and GSI for both sexes, suggesting urgent need to base size limits on LT not SL. LT at which 50% of the population was mature (LT50) was 15.51 mm for females and 12.33 mm for males, therefore a 16 mm LT limit is recommended. MCW of female L. gigas was also significantly related to GSI, indicating MCW may be an appropriate management tool in conjunction with LT as it can be measured at landing sites whereas shells are usually discarded at sea. However, MCW at which 50% of females were mature (MCW50) was 199 g and many individuals exceeding LT50 had MCW <199 g, suggesting the current 85 g MCW limit is too low to protect juveniles yet 199 g MCW limit would be too high to substitute the recommended LT limit at landing sites. To minimize short-term impacts yet maximize long-term benefits to fishers’ livelihoods, multi-stage adaptive management is recommended that integrates initial catch reductions, followed by introduction of size limits of 16 mm LT, and 150 g MCW. Adjustable LT and MCW limits determined by fishery simulation could later be introduced. 

Date
2017
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring

Regional Queen Conch Fisheries Management and Conservation Plan (Draft)

The overall objective of this 10-year Regional Queen Conch Fishery Management and Conservation Plan is to guide the implementation of a set of identified management measures that can be applied at the regional or sub-regional level for the sustainability of queen conch populations and for the maintenance of a healthy fishery and livelihood of the people involved in the fishery.

The ecosystem approach forms the basis of this Regional Queen Conch Fishery Management and Conservation Plan, enhancing partnerships and collaboration throughout the Wider Caribbean region to improve the long-term governance of queen conch fisheries across the Caribbean.

The Regional Queen Conch Fishery Management and Conservation Plan was formulated with the following specific objectives:

1. To improve the collection and integration of scientific data needed to determine the overall queen conch population status as the basis for the application of ecosystem-based management.

2. To harmonize measures aimed at increasing the stability of the queen conch population and to implement best-management practices for a sustainable fishery.

3. To increase coordination and collaboration toward achieving better education and outreach, monitoring and research, co-management and strengthening, optimizing and harmonizing regional governance arrangements.

4. To adopt regional management measures, which incorporate the precautionary approach.. 

Date
2015
Data type
Other resources
Document