Matthew McPherson

2015

Recreational reef fish fisheries play an important cultural and social role on the USVI and represent a significant source of protein. Without critical data, it is impossible to develop required management plans that incorporate stock status and productivity. Overexploitation of critical stocks; impacts on multiple trophic levels; bycatch of non-target species; and reefs impacted due to fishing methods are all possible outcomes. The boat-ramp-based hook and line fishery is a major non-commercial fishery for reef fish in St. Croix and St. Thomas. This project will answer two important research questions: (1) What is the best way to collect critical fishery data for this fishery?, and (2) What are the current levels of catch and effort in this fishery

The information obtained in this study will provide critical information on major components of the boat ramp-based, non-commercial fishery on St. Croix and St. Thomas including the magnitude of their catch and effort, and the species composition of the catch. With this information, managers will begin to understand the magnitude of the non-commercial fishery compared to the commercial fishery, how efforts shifts seasonally, and which species are targeted. Managers will also learn more about the fishing community including who is fishing, how, and why. The project will serve as an important pilot, providing information on how to effectively obtain catch and effort information on the non-commercial fishery as a whole, throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands. Knowledge of total catch and effort is essential to setting appropriate Annual Catch Limits (ACLs) as required by the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act to end overfishing and manage fisheries effectively. Overfishing is one of the greatest threats to coral reef ecosystem in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Understanding the relative impacts of the non-commercial fishery in comparison to the commercial fishery is critical to making allocation decisions. In addition, understanding the composition and motivation of the fishing community will assist managers in their efforts to communicate with those impacted by regulations and encourage compliance.

• U.S. Virgin Islands

Fishing

Closed

Completed

https://www.coris.noaa.gov/search/rest/find/document?searchText=projectNumber%3A831%20OR%20projectTitle%3A"A%20creel%20survey%20of%20the%20recreational%20%28non-commercial%29%2C%20boat-ramp-based%20fisheries%20in%20St.%20Croix%20and%20St.%20Thomas"&start=1&max=10&f=searchPage