Matthews, T. R., Slade, C. L., Moore, J.

The effect of traps on essential fishery habitat in the Florida Keys

2006

Petersburg, Florida

Proceedings of the 57th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute

57

1023

The development of ecologically sustainable fishing practices is a vital component of successful fisheries management. Trap-based fisheries, like the spiny lobster (P. argus) fishery in Florida, have the potential to maintain catch efficiency and reduce the impact on essential fisheries habitat, particularly coral reefs. Surveys of the distribution of traps indicate that few traps were placed on coral and that the placement and retrieval of traps on coral caused only a few relatively small injuries. However, injury to coral more commonly occurred when traps were moved during prolonged wind events greater than 17.5 knots. Several of these wind events generally occur each fishing season and in the winter of 2004 these events were observed to move traps an average of 4.5 meters (n=63 traps). Injuries to coral resulting from trap movement were generally larger and more frequent than injuries caused by trap placement and retrieval. By improving our understanding of the interaction between traps and coral reefs, fishery managers and fishermen may be able to reach an amenable solution to reduce the impact of traps on coral and promote more ecologically sustainable fishing practices.

CRCP Project ID 1069; Project Title: Distribution of Trap Fishing and Effects on Habitats in Coral Reef Ecosystems; Principal Investigator: Ron Hill