15. An overview of the status of assessments and management practices for the large pelagic fish species in the Western Central Atlantic, especially as they relate to the Lesser Antilles, was presented as a point of departure to the national reports. It was submitted that the large pelagic fish resources of the WECAF area have been divided into two groups, offshore with oceanic distribution, and coastal with a regional distribution, but that there are significant overlapping/mixing of these groups. The ongoing efforts to collect data on these have been implemented by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and the FAO. Although there is cooperation and sharing of data between ICCAT and FAO, regional investigators have reported that more than 50 percent of the countries in the WECAF area may be reporting their data on large pelagic species incorrectly or under-reporting. Hence they caution that assessments using the existing data sets may be questionable.
16. Although there is a modest tradition of targeting both the oceanic and coastal pelagic fish species in the region, the practice was restricted to fishing around drifting objects and trolling. Fishing on moored FAD for the large pelagic fish species is a relatively new practice in this region, and the management of this activity is advisable if it is to become sustainable. It is expected that the information required to manage the development of moored FAD fisheries can complement the efforts required for improving the database on the large pelagic fisheries in the WECAF area.
17. At least 35 of the fishing vessels registered with the Fisheries Division in Antigua and Barbuda claim to be targeting the large pelagic fish species. They are predominantly commercial and recreational sport fishing vessels, and they range in length from 6.0 to 17.5 metres. Some artisanal fishers also engage in opportunistic targeting of the large pelagic species by trolling to and from the traps on the outer banks.
18. The species most targeted is the blue marlin, because of the points it attract during tournaments. However the landings usually include: yellowfin tuna, wahoo, dolphinfish, king mackerel, cero mackerel, Spanish mackerel, Atlantic sailfish, blackfin tuna, skipjack tuna, and little tunny. The gear normally used is the rod and reel and the handline.
19. Actual data collection from the vessels in this sector of our fisheries is usually difficult, except at tournaments, when censuses are done. At other time fishers usually dispose of their catch by selling directly to restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and housewives. Hence we have estimated that large pelagic species landings in Antigua and Barbuda amounts to no more than 20 percent of total annual landings in the fisheries sector. There is no specific national management strategy for the large pelagic species at present.
20. The pelagic fishing fleet in Cuba has been reduced over the last 10 years. At present 42 vessels are dedicated to pole and line and longline fishing, targeting pelagic fish species such as: skipjack, blackfin tuna, yellowfin tuna, white marlin, sailfish, and the common dolphinfish. The gears used in targeting the large pelagic species are the pole and line and the surface longline with as many as 500 hooks. At least 19 of the vessels described above are used specifically to engage in longlining.
21. Data from the large pelagic species fisheries is collected via a sampling plan in all fishing ports. This system records data by species, effort, boats, gear and area fished. Part of the catch from the smaller tunas is canned for export, while the balance is sold in the local markets. Cuba has no management regulations for large pelagic fish species generally, except that there are prohibitions on landings of skipjack and blackfin tunas below 30 centimetres fork length.
22. The fishing fleet of Curacao has experienced a significant decline during the last few years mainly because the import duties and the cost of fuel have risen markedly. From a fleet of 435 vessels only 111 (25.5 percent) are actively fishing; the others are idle due to mechanical and/or financial problems, such as migration of owners. The fisheries is predominantly artisanal, and although there is no clear distinction between target species and bycatch, the large pelagic species with the highest market value include: dolphinfish, wahoo, and to a lesser extent, marlins and tunas. The longline vessels predominantly target the large pelagic species such as: bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna and swordfish. Dolphinfish jacks, sharks and escolar are considered bycatch. The catch from these longline vessels is predominantly exported.
23. Curacao had a break in its fisheries data collection. Since its resumption (in 2000) data on catch and effort are being collected at landing sites on a daily basis, using a sampling method. It was realized that monitoring of the fisheries require at least 2 years data to show trends; for example, previous data showed rainbow runner contributing a constant 10 to 15 percent of the pelagic landings, but it has not been significant in the recent data. Based on this new data, it was concluded that there was a strong correlation between boat length and catch per unit effort. The government of Curacao intends to expand the number of longline vessels, to take greater advantage of the large pelagic fish resources in its fishery zone while being mindful of overfishing. It is also expected that reliable fisheries data will function as a basis for future Island Fishery Ordinance.
24. Pelagic fishing is a very important component of the fisheries sector in Dominica. Some 455 vessels (47 percent) of its fleet target the large offshore pelagic fish species in its waters, during the period January to June each year. The vessels range in lengths from 5.5 to 10.6 metres, and most of them operate within 12 miles of the coastlines. Total landings of these species amounted to 367 tons in the year 2000. This was equivalent to 34 percent of the total fish landings for that year. The fishing methods used in targeting those species were longline fishing, and trolling handlines. The species landed from these two methods include yellowfin tuna, kingfish, dolphinfish, marlin and swordfish.
25. Fisheries data collection in Dominica is done using a random sampling method in the rural landing sites supplemented by the purchasing records of the centrally located Roseau Fisheries Complex. The Government of Dominica is benefiting from a technical assistance activity, which provides training to artisanal fishers in fishing for large pelagic fish species. It also benefited from infrastructural improvements donated by the government of Japan; this assistance increased the country’s storage and marketing capacity - especially for the large pelagic fish species. Although the Fisheries Division is mandated to manage the fisheries resources of the country, fisheries regulations have not been brought into force; in the interim attempts to promote cooperation with the fishers through regular sensitization and extension activities are ongoing.
26. Grenada has developed its large pelagic fisheries with the technical assistance primarily from the Cuban Government and later from the Japanese government. Not only did the Grenadian fishers embrace the Cuban longline technology but also they began to adopt a scaled down version of the Cuban longline gear to operate from their many smaller, artisanal boats. More recent technical assistance from the Government of Japan complemented their efforts to target the large pelagic fish species. Today there are about 922 fishers, that operate from 385 vessels targeting those species in Grenada, predominantly with longline gear; the vessels range in length from 4.2 to 18.2 metres (14 to 60 feet), and fish for periods lasting from 1 to 7-day trips. The species landed include yellowfin tuna, swordfish, blue marlin, dolphinfish, wahoo, kingfish, sailfish, and blackfin tuna. The longline fishery mainly targets yellowfin tuna for high quality export to the USA by cargo plane
27. Grenada’s data collection of large pelagic species is more complete than for the other species and species groups in its fishing industry. The fisheries division estimates that it captures data on 80 percent of the large pelagic fish species landed. The system used for large pelagic species is a total sampling at the 6 fish markets around the country, where they are landed. Effort data is also recorded for the large pelagic fisheries. Grenada has a draft fisheries management plan, but no specific strategy for large pelagic fish species have been elaborated.
28. Small artisanal vessels ranging in lengths from five to nine metres dominate the fishing fleet of Guadeloupe. There are 746 registered fishing vessels at present, and the majority of these vessels targets the large pelagic fish species during the “la traine” (trolling) season. The principal species targeted, during “la traine” are dolphinfish, wahoo, and the Spanish mackerel. The gear used is the handline. The number of professional fishers in Guadeloupe has fluctuated significantly since 1997.
29. Ifremer has collected logbook data on the moored FAD fishery from 1992 to 1996 on the Caribbean coast. Since then there has been no system in place for collecting fisheries statistics in Guadeloupe. There are no management restrictions on the capture of large pelagic fish species in Gaudeloupean waters.
30. It has been noted that Guadeloupians have a per capita consumption of more than 30 kilograms of seafood. Their production has been less than the demand, relative to the large pelagic species for example; imports have increased from 42 tons of frozen dolphinfish in 1999 to 164 tons in 2000.
31. The fishing fleet and the number of active fishers in the Martinique have been relatively stable for a number of years. The vessels targeting the large pelagic fish species range in lengths from 6 to 8 metres. Fishers targeting the large pelagic fish species essentially operate off the insular shelf. Some practice trolling under drifting flotsam and/or birds flights (“pêche à Miquelon”) from December to June venturing as far as 60 miles from the shore; others practice drift fishing by deploying weighted, vertical lines at depths of 50 to 80 metres deep while catching flyingfish. Approximately 58 percent of the vessels targeted the large pelagic species in 1994.
32. Large pelagic fish species amounted to 830 metric tonnes of the total pelagic fish landings in Martinique - 1 200 metric tonnes - in 1987. The species landed include tunas (370 tons), dolphinfish (245 tons) and wahoo (129 tons). An intensive sampling of the catches of the overall fisheries was implemented in 1987 by l’Institut de recherches pour le développement (IRD), followed by a similar although lighter sampling effort implemented by the Comité des pêches from 1991 to 1993. Ifremer has collected logbook-data on the large pelagic fish species from 1990 to 1996 according to the type of fishing, in relation to the development of the moored FAD fishery. Ifremer has been conducting biological data sampling of large pelagic fisheries landings through road surveys, including moored FAD fishery, since 1998. Except this limited sampling there is no system in place for collecting exhaustive statistics in Martinique by now.
33. The large pelagic fish fisheries of Saint Kitts and Nevis has been the only subsector of the fishing industry that has consistently shown significantly increased landings over the last 6 years. The data does not include landings from sport and recreational fishers, but the figures recorded for 1995 amounted to approximately one ton compared to 29 tons in 2000. Approximately 50 fishers who operate from 19 vessels practise trolling; they venture as far as 35 miles offshore to target species such as dolphinfish, tunas, kingfish and blue marlin. The vessels range in length from 5.5 to 9.7 metres.
34. Data collection generally has been a tedious exercise largely due to fishers’ resistance; where actual sampling is not possible, fisher-supplied data does not always distinguish between species. A major issue affecting the development of the large pelagic fish fisheries is the unavailability of storage facilities. This has constrained fishing effort at crucial times during the trolling season for the large pelagic species. There is no specific management regime in force for large pelagic fish resources.
35. The fishing industry in Saint Lucia has a fleet of 994 registered vessels, which are operated by 1993 fishers. The vessel types include the traditional dugout canoe, fibreglass pirogues, transomed vessels and 4 longliners. The lengths of the vessels in the fleet vary from 3.5 to 13 metres. The fishing season for targeting the offshore pelagic species (“la trane” or the trolling season) runs from January to June. Trolling lines and surface longlines targets the large pelagic fish species; they dominate the overall production in the fishing industry, contributing 68.3 percent of the total landings for 2000. The dominant species are dolphinfish (29.8 percent), tunas (25.3 percent), and wahoo (13.0 percent).
36. There is an ongoing strategy of training fishers - with technical assistance from the government of France to use pelagic fishing techniques to target the large migratory fish species. Saint Lucia have also benefited from technical and infrastructural assistance from the government of Japan, which is intended to facilitate further expansion of its efforts to target the large pelagic fish species. Data collection in Saint Lucia is randomly done at the many fish landing sites around the island. Statistics on large pelagic fish landings are collected from the records of the major fish markets/depots.
37. There is no management regime for the large pelagic fish species in force.
38. The fishing industry in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a fleet of about 600 fishing vessels, operated by approximately 1 550 fishers. The vessels range in lengths form 4 to 20 metres. The large pelagic fish species contribute about 25 percent (284.1 tons) of the total fish landings (1 136.4 tons). The gear used to target the large pelagic fish species is trolling lines and surface longlines with as many as 300 hooks. The species targeted by these gears are yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, swordfish, dolphinfish, blue marlin, wahoo, and kingfish. Approximately 37 percent of the large pelagic fish landings are exported as fresh fish.
39. Fisheries data is generally collected via a system of stratified cluster sampling. Data on large pelagic fish landings are collected at the major fish markets with storage facilities. There are no management strategies in force for the large pelagic fish species.
40. The fishing industry is largely artisanal, but the fishing fleet also includes multigear longline vessels, as well as a small number of semi-industrial and industrial shrimp trawlers. They target a variety of species, including coastal pelagic and demersals as well as the large oceanic pelagic fish species. There are approximately 1 536 registered vessels in the fishing fleet. The estimated total fish landings in 1999 was 10 000 metric tonnes. The industry provides direct employment for an estimated 13 000 persons, and indirect employment for an additional 50 000 persons.
41. The artisanal fishers operate open fibreglass vessels ranging in lengths from 6 to 10 metres, and they principally target coastal species such as: wahoo, kingfish, Spanish mackerel, flyingfish, and sharp-nose, hammerhead, black tip and small tail sharks. The major fishing gear of the artisanal fishers is the gillnet, followed by the handline and the trolling line. The semi-industrial and industrial vessels range in lengths from 14 to 23 metres. They are equipped with surface longlines from which 300 to 1 000 hooks target the oceanic pelagic species such as: yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, swordfish, and dolphinfish, with sharks, Spanish mackerel, and blackfin tuna being considered as bycatch.
42. Data from the fishing industry is collected randomly through a combination of enumeration and sample surveys at selected artisanal landing sites; data for the offshore fleet (industrial and semi-industrial) is collected from their export and domestic sales records. Total landings are estimated using the results of frequent censuses of active fishing vessels at both the enumerated and nonenumerated landing sites.
43. Trinidad and Tobago established a Monitoring and Advisory Committee on Fisheries to promote self-regulation and consensus with respect to management measures. This mechanism has established strategies such as season and area restriction on demersal shrimp, and mesh size increase for gillnets. Although there are no specific local regulations on fishing for the large pelagic fish resources, the government has ratified the ICCAT convention and plans to adopt it into local legislation.
