Fisheries

The purpose of this survey was to describe and map the natural and cultural resources of the marine environment with a view to sustainable development of these resources for tourism.The following main habitat types were identified: coral-encrusted rock, true coral reefs, sand with algal beds, and artificial habitat (wreck sites). The most important areas for recreational use and further tourism development are the reef complex south of the city pier, the reefs of Jenkins Bay and the archaeological sites in Oranjebaai.
In addition to describing and mapping the resources, an inventory of uses of the marine environment was made, being fisheries, diving and snorkeling, anchoring and ship's traffic. Individual uses were mapped and these maps were overlayed to show areas of conflict between uses. The overlays formed the basis for a zoning plan for the marine environment. This plan identifies certain zones for different uses, so as to avoid conflicts between users. The zoning plan proposes two marine park
zones, two archaeological zones, a large anchorage/harbor zone, traffic zones and a fisheries management zone. Since the institutional structure for managing the marine environment and enforcing the regulations of the zoning plan is not available at present, creation of a new non-governmental body is recommended for management. All interest groups should be represented in such a body. Once the Island Government approves the recommendations and the proposed zoning plan, a detailed
project proposal and budget need to be drafted and submitted for funding.

Abstract:

Marine reserves, in which exploitation of marine organisms and other human activities are restricted or prohibited, can be valuable tools for marine conservation and fisheries management. No-take marine reserves support greater density, size, and diversity of fishes than exploited areas, with most benefits accruing to heavily exploited species. Protected areas can also export biomass to sustain or increase the overall yield of adjacent fisheries. These effects can be especially significant for organisms with small home ranges, such as coral reef fish. Although there are many benefits to creating marine reserves they are also costly to manage and can infringe on people’s recreation and livelihoods. For marine reserves to be used as management tools, a comprehensive knowledge of the ecosystems is needed and reserve impacts should be regularly monitored.

St. Eustatius Marine Park and two no-take marine reserves were established by the Statian government in 1996 to promote dive tourism and sustainable fisheries. No fisheries study was carried out prior to reserve implementation to determine the status of fish stocks. In the summer of 2008, surveys were undertaken inside and outside the marine reserves to census reef fish and habitat to establish a current baseline and to evaluate the effects of the marine reserves on reef fish populations. The data that was collected was used to answer three questions about the current state of the Marine Park: 1) are there habitat related differences between reserve areas and non-reserve areas or between reef types? 2) do fish density, diversity, or biomass differ between protected and unprotected sites or between reef types? and 3) do habitat characteristics, reserve status, or reef type influence fish density, diversity, and biomass?

This study determined that habitat differences among the survey sites affected reef fish populations more than reserve status. However, the no-take reserves may still be important for protecting reef fish populations. The two reserves have been in place for more than 10 years and it is unknown what happened to fish populations during that time. Future research, employing the methods of this study, can be used to monitor reef fish populations and habitat over time to better determine if the reserves are having beneficial effects. 

Abstract:

There are about 25 fishermen on the island of St. Eustatius. Considering the small scale island economy this is a significant social economical factor that can not be overseen by the local Island Government. The money that is generated by the fishery sector, directly and indirectly, is invested back into the St. Eustatius economy, since all the fishermen are locals. In addition indirect taxes are generated from fuel, two stroke oil, fishing gear, spare parts and engines. The aggregated value of the fishery sector is also an important factor to the island economy. The spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) fishery is without doubt the most important fishery on the island. The total lobster catch for 2003 is estimated to be approximately 4 tons, which represents a gross value of 100,000 NAf.

The St. Eustatius fishermen primarily fish on the narrow shelf surrounding the island. In 1996 the Island Council of St. Eustatius approved the Marine Park Ordinance 1996, creating a marine park and setting out regulations (diving, fishing etc.) for this marine park. Subsequently the St. Eustatius National Park Foundation (STENAPA) was requested to manage the park and active management started in 1997. STENAPA therefore has the effective control over the island shelf from the high water mark to the 30 meter (100 ft) depth contour. In addition, 2 marine park reserves were put in place to be managed by the STENAPA foundation, where fishing is restricted to hand line fishing. Furthermore the fishermen were restricted to catching a maximum of 20 queen conch (Strombus gigas) per year in the marine park area, without any base line study had taken place. The St.Eustatius fishermen find that the best fishing grounds were designated to be marine reserves, and after several quite severe incidents that took place over the years between them and STENAPA fishers have become distrustful of the local Island Government’s actions and STENAPA. In addition, it is the fishermen’s experience that catches have gone down significantly since STENAPA took over management of the park area. An other factor that has even worsened the situation is that tankers, coming and going to the St. Eustatius oil terminal, are anchoring in the marine park area (within the 30 meter depth contour), and are destroying the fishing grounds with their anchor and anchor chain, and cutting away the traps. The fishermen find that the habitat destruction by the oil tankers is much more severe than their “relatively small” violations of the marine park ordinance. Since the management of the marine park and thus the fishing grounds is a STENAPA matter, a critical success factor for sustainable management of the park area, and consequently the fishing grounds, is improving the communication and cooperation between the STENAPA foundation, the fishermen and local island Government, and finding a solution for the anchoring problem. 

Findings:

The main conclusion from this study is that the combined levels of anthropogenic impact on the bay currently exceed sustainable levels. Lac Bay is experiencing a long-term decline in productive habitat area all the while non-sustainable grazing of vegetation, eutrophication, seagrass trampling and high levels of litter contamination have been documented.

Lac catchment area

• The Lac catchment area was mapped using satellite imagery combined with field verification and gave a preliminary estimated size of about 22.6 km2 of surrounding lands. This area consists of a mix of semi- natural deciduous and dry-evergreen vegetation types and at least 213 small part-time farms.
• There are at least 52 dams that obstruct or retard water flow and many wells from which groundwater can be or is being extracted.
• Extensive livestock husbandry (goat and sheep) occurs at densities higher than 1 animal per hectare. Such densities well exceed densities that permit ecological recovery (0.1 animal per hectare).

Recreational use

• The Lac lagoon is intensively used for recreation. From 9 in the morning to 4:30 pm practically every day anywhere from 100 - 400 people are present on or along the shorelines of the bay at any given moment. Highest numbers occur during cruise ship days.
• The majority of recreational use of Lac is concentrated on and around the Sorobon Peninsula.
• The major recreational activities at Lac are sunbathing, windsurfing and swimming or wading. Little current use is directed towards nature activities
• Usage patterns and awareness differ importantly between the four different user-categories of cruise tourists, stay-over tourists, foreign residents and inhabitants born on Bonaire.

Anthropogenic impacts

• The inner borders of the seagrass exclosures display much bare space due to trampling.
• As there is no sewage treatment and as the available toilets and cesspits are generally defunct, beach visitation definitely result in nutrient enrichment in the waters of the bay
• Beach litter contamination is a matter of concern along mangrove shores at entrance of the bay and the lagoon-bottom immediately off the public beach of Sorobon.
• High levels of uses pose issues of disturbance for birds and sea turtles.
• Additional problems are the rapid invasion of the exotic seagrass, Halophila stipulacea and a bloom of an encrusting (possibly invasive) calcareous alga (Ramicrusta sp.) that is smothering live corals at the seaward side of the bay.

Management Recommendations:

• Develop sunbathing and water sport possibilities elsewhere on Bonaire to distribute user densities away from Lac.
• Upgrade user facilities and infrastructure at Lac. These include toilets and septic system, garbage disposal, organized parking, shade, signage and markers for the various management zones.
• Implement a Visitor Centre to provide visitor service (products and added value-information) and enforcement.
• Reduce grazer densities in the watershed and/or around the bay.
• Discourage/prohibit the use of throw-away food and beverage packaging at Lac and participate actively in the regional Marine Litter Action Plan developed by UNEP.
• Design a boom system to herd and trap contaminants entering Lac before they penetrate the mangrove fringes.
• Organize regular beach clean-ups in Lac.

Research to address knowledge gaps

• Further map and quantify anthropogenic effects in the watershed area (pollution, water diversion and extraction, forestation, grazing, farming, erosion) and their effects on Lac (in terms of sedimentation, reduced freshwater influx, nutrient loading).
• Document traffic levels on Kaminda di Sorobon and its effects in terms of disturbance, road-kills and littering.
• Study the concentration and effects of litter-derived contaminants on the environment and biota of the bay.
• Study the distribution and habitat selection of sea turtles in the bay as related to diet, food availability, water temperature, disturbance and other factors.
• Study the use of more and/or larger exclosures to improve seagrass coverage in the Sorobon area.

Abstract:

To protect deep-sea biodiversity, the United Nations have adopted a number of resolutions that should protect vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), such as cold water corals and sponges, by the regulation of deep-sea fisheries on the high seas. In a parallel process, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) calls upon states to identify Ecological and Biological Significant Areas (EBSAs) that serve as focal areas, without any special legal status, and establish a network of marine protected areas by 2012. In addition, at the tenth meeting of the Conference to the Parties of the CBD in Nagoya, in 2010, it was agreed that by 2020, 10% of coastal and marine areas should be protected.

The Netherlands is involved in both processes since our country has ratified the CBD and therefore is bound to contribute to the protection of biodiversity, both in its national waters and in the high seas. In this report we provide a worldwide overview on the protection of VMEs and of the status of the EBSA selection processes as per March 2012. Next, we zoom in on three areas that are of interest to the Dutch government (Caribbean, West Africa, Antarctica) and we summarize the spatial protection measures, list the closed VME areas and EBSA selection processes and we provide information on the regional seas conventions and their mandates.