49. Currently, there is no official policy on the development of FAD fishing in Antigua and Barbuda. The fishery administration is not officially aware of any FAD fishing operations either, but unofficially has heard of such activities involving sport fishers clandestinely. As a result there is no information on the location or performance of the alleged FAD fishing activities.
50. Antigua and Barbuda has a draft fisheries management plan, but there is no explicit strategy on fishing for the large pelagic fish species. The Fisheries Division is considering a strategy to sensitize both fishers and policy-makers about the potential advantages of developing and managing moored FAD fishing for artisanal fishers, to target the large pelagic fish species. The hope was expressed that this meeting will provide additional insights for them to further this strategy.
51. The employment of FAD for fishing of large pelagic fishes is in an experimental phase. They have only been moored in the oriental north coast with good results. The FAD used is similar those deployed in Martinique.
52. In about three months they have obtained some ten tons of large pelagic fish species; initially the catch was mostly spearfish, but later the species breakdown consisted of about 60 percent white marlins, while 25 percent was sailfish, and 15 percent was the common dolphinfish. The high cost of these devices has stopped it massive introduction; nevertheless they are considered in the plans for the development of the pelagic fisheries.
53. The Curacao FAD project has been in existence since 1993. During the several design-modifications the present version has evolved as a result of experience. The key elements of the design are:
The use of a spar buoy, because of its suitability to choppy seas with short wave periods. An observed disadvantage was the need for extra ballast, but using extra mooring-chain can offset this.
There is only one mainline, which is attached to a single chain to which liberal sacrificial anodes are attached.
The anchor is a one-piece concrete block with a reinforced mat and U-beam (the ratio of steel to concrete is about1:4).
Strands of nylon rope are now used as underwater attractors; they are enmeshed in the chain. This has replaced other materials because of its durability and less drag characteristics.
54. The location of the FAD is important. A deep water FAD should be deployed in an area where migrating fish are known/likely to pass.
55. Although we have no well established data set the results so far and the lessons learned have been such that funding for five new FAD was secured, these are under construction for imminent deployment. The extention of the programme to the Sister Island of Bonaire is also planned.
56. The FAD concept was introduced in Dominica in the 1980s. The first FAD was constructed and deployed with the assistance of the FAO. Since then a total of 11 FAD was officially deployed from various landing sites around the island, typically within three to five miles offshore. Several training sessions in the use and merits of FAD were conducted. The practice of FAD construction evolved into custom of combining locally available material such as bamboo, used tyres, and coconut fronds with imported materials such as rope, chain, buoys, radar reflectors, swivels and shackles.
57. Fisher interest in FAD remains high, and there are reports of some experimenting with materials such as pieces of old seine nets and plastic containers as attractants and floats respectively. Some of these activities reported occur clandestinely, at distances between 7 and 15 miles offshore. It was noted that the continued use of FAD has extended the normal season for targeting the large pelagic fish species into July and August. Presently FAD fishing is not systematically monitored. The fisheries division is contemplating a co-management strategy in the absence of firm regulations.
58. In the early 1990s the Grenada Fisheries Division deployed two FAD. Although it was well established that fishers had good catches during the time they were in position, no official catch data was kept. One FAD was deployed with FAO assistance, in a depth of approximately 364 metres off the East coast of Grenada. Species caught on this FAD included yellowfin tuna, dolphinfish, kingfish, and other smaller tunas. The second FAD was constructed of bamboo by the Fisheries Division (1998), and deployed at a depth of about 200 metres off a fishing beach. This latter FAD lasted about six months.
59. The performance of the two FAD so impressed the fishers that they have since anchored two unused wooden-vessels on the site of the latter FAD. Presently 20 to 30 fishing vessels fish around these vessels targeting kingfish and blackfin tunas. It was noted that the Blackfin Tunas are predominantly large specimens but not systematic data collection effort has been directed to this particular activity. Presently the focus of the Department of Fisheries is on the monitoring the artisanal and longline fisheries for large pelagic fish species.
60. FAD deployment has been considered as one of the major fisheries development strategies in Guadeloupe in recent years. Fishing on the first moored FAD began in Guadeloupe in 1988. Since then the number of FAD being fished has increased drastically to about 200 units, at present. Most of the FAD today are privately constructed and deployed; as many as 10 fishers may own one FAD, but the number is usually four or five. In the past, FAD were deployed at an average distance of 15 miles offshore, but now they are being carried progressively farther and into deeper waters (about 50 miles offshore, and in depths of more than 2 000 metres); as a result the turn-over of FAD is very high.
61. The designs of the FAD have evolved, as fishers become more experienced from working with successive units.
62. The activities and issues regarding FAD fishing in Guadeloupe, especially production data has been partially monitored by Ifremer through logbooks data collection from 1992 to 1996. The FAD fishery seems to have been developing since 1992, earlier than in Martinique, thanks to the use of the drifting vertical single hook line, used traditionally to fish big pelagics around seamounts in Guadeloupe. The use of this traditional fishing gear around FAD allowed Guadeloupean fishers to fish deeper (down to 150-200 metres) and catch big pelagics (essentially yellowfin tunas weighing more than 14 kilograms and blue marlins). The increasing catches of big pelagics induced an increase in the average catches per fishing trip around FAD and induced the development of the fishery. In addition FAD fishing is regulated under Préfectoral order.
63. Fishing for the large pelagic fish species on moored FAD has been developing in Martinique since the mid-1990s. It has emerged as a year-round practice, off the insular platform, in depths of about 1 000 to 2 000 metres. The deployment of FAD in Martinique was initially funded by public organizations. The number of moored FAD in Martinique is presently much lower than in Guadeloupe where FAD are the private property of fishers.
64. Moored FAD were first deployed in the early 1990s on the Atlantic coast but development of FAD fishing begun on the Caribbean coast around the late 1990s. At the beginning, fishers only used surface trolling lines around FAD. As part of its FAD fishing development in Martinique, Ifremer facilitated the introduction of the drifting vertical, single-hook line used in Guadeloupe. Since then the FAD fishery seems to have been developing as in Guadeloupe, thanks to the increase of big pelagic catches. However, average yields remains lower in Martinique than in Guadeloupe maybe because of the number of FAD being much lower in Martinique than in Guadeloupe. Nowadays, the main species landed from FAD include blue marlin, big yellowfin tunas and blackfin tuna.
65. The only up-to-date statistics on the FAD fishery in Martinique is derived from biological data of partial sampling implemented by Ifremer since 1998.
66. Research is being conducted by Ifremer to improve the designs of the FAD, based on the study of the causes of losses and on the FAD behaviour modelling function of swell and currents.
67. The first FAD was introduced in Saint Kitts in 1988; it was a Mac Intosh prototype. Since then the history and performance of FAD has been chequered, shrouded in secrecy, and with no tangible record of their successes or failures. Clandestine designs and deployments have been reported occasionally by fishers, and recent observations of landings have yielded enhanced landings of large pelagic fish species among certain fishers.
68. The data collected seems to suggest that FAD is indeed improving landings for some fishers. The Fisheries Management Unit has initiated a strategy to offer technical and material assistance to fishers with the objective of gaining their cooperation and confidence, in order to be in a position to better monitor the performance of FAD. The Ministry of Fisheries has also introduced an annual Minister’s prize to commemorate World Food Day as another incentive for fisher cooperation; the prize is awarded to the fisher who the Fisheries Management Unit can identify as the most cooperative and productive fisher for the year.
69. Presently no data specific to the large pelagic fish landings from FAD fishing are available. The situation in Nevis mirrors that in Saint Kitts.
70. Saint Lucia had as many as 12 FAD until recently. Many of them were lost through boating traffic. The one that has remained functional is heavily used. Fisher-interest in FAD has been such that the government of Saint Lucia is in the process of repairing or replacing many of the damaged or lost units. One French-donated FAD was deployed near the Souffriere Marine Management Area (SMMA), and it lasted for 14 months.
71. All the catch data was not reported by the fishers yet the records indicated that a total of 36 marlins, ranging in weights from 36.4 to 386.4 kilograms were caught around that FAD. Two of the other lost FAD were Japanese designs, but proper monitoring was not detailed enough to allow for comparison of the different designs.
72. Recent cooperative exchanges between Martinican and Saint Lucian fishers have resulted in technical adjustments in the fishing practices of Saint Lucian fishers around FAD. The end result was the landing of specimens of bigeye tunas from the midwater around their FAD. Previously Saint Lucian fishers only concentrated their fishing efforts around FAD near the surface.
73. The Fisheries Extension Unit constructed an experimental moored FAD consisting of a bamboo raft, which it deployed about five miles offshore at a depth of 50 metres. The choice of materials was deliberately kept to a minimum by using mostly what was readily available. The other reason was because it was intended only to sensitize and gauge fisher interest.
74. The FAD only lasted for three weeks; hence it was difficult to measure its performance. It was established that many fishers became curious and actually fished around it. One of those who report on their activities around the FAD claimed to have landed in excess of 313.6 kilograms of skipjack tuna, bonito and dolphinfish.
75. There is still official interest in FAD fishing, There are plans to initiate an extension strategy to cultivate fishers’ support in a partnership for its development and management.
76. There is no active moored FAD fishing in Trinidad and Tobago at the present time. The capacity and technology to construct and deploy moored FAD has been demonstrated by the state-owned “Caribbean Fisheries Training and Development Institute” (CFTDI), with Japanese technical assistance, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency). Three experimental bamboo-rafts were deployed as moored FAD, off the insular shelf of Tobago in 1999. Data on the activities of fishers around the FAD is unavailable because they did not return the forms that they were given to record their landings.
77. Although the rafts were not replaced, there has been in general considerable interest in coastal communities, in Trinidad, to establish aggregating devices. The Fisheries Department is aware of this significant interest for the deployment of demersal FAD and artificial reefs. No official policy has been formulated on the development of moored FAD so far.
78. CFTDI (Caribbean Fisheries Training and Development Institute) has conducted training in the development and application of FAD for other Caribbean countries.
