STFA Yellowtail Snapper Tag-Recapture Project and Consequences
of ACLs in St. Thomas/St. John
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Trap Vent Program Update 335 Trips 3,344 Trap Hauls 13,841 Fish
Caught Currently Testing 1.25 by 5.75 Vents 1.375 by 5.75 Vents
Location on trap Vent Height
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Vent Effects on CPUE
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Population Size, Growth, Mortality and Movement Patterns of
Yellowtail Snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus) in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Determined Through a Multi-institutional Collaboration. CRP Funded
Project NMF4540114 Funding : Federal=$132,850 STFA in-kind=11,200
Co Pi: David Olsen, STFA Adriaan Jordan, SUNY
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# STT/STJ Yellowtail Fishing Trips
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Yellowtail lbs/Trip
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Yellowtail Snapper Annual STT/STJ Landings # lbs
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Annual Yellowtail Landings # Fish
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Average Monthly Handline & SeineTrips (1997-2008
Average)
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Yellowtail per Trap /Haul
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Yellowtail Catch in STFA Studies Fishing Method CountAverage FL
Average Wt (lbs) Traps224305.3 mm0.97 Hand Line1855327.3 mm1.19
Seine Net182347.9 mm1.42
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Length at First Reproduction (FISHBASE) 188 mm Male, 224 mm
Female CFMC Size Limit304.8 TL, 244.7 FL Length at First Capture
(FL in mm) Traps228 mm Hand Line208 mm Nets198 mm Length at Full
Recruitment Traps270 mm Hand Line290 mm Seine Nets260 mm Length at
50% Recruitment (to be calculated)
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Hand line Size Frequency
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Fish Trap Size Frequency
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Seine Net Size Frequency Fork Length (mm)
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Pit Tags
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Scanner for Port Sampling
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Study Status TaggingTrips
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Weight Calculations
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Port Sample Locations
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Next Steps Tag retention/mortality study: 40-50 fish in tanks
at UVI. Starts in December/January. Resume Tagging in March/April
(or whenever we get a break in the weather). Continue Port
Sampling. Data from DFW. Additional Funding for Tagging Trips?
Slide 30
Implications of ACLs St. Thomas/St. John landings have been
stable since around 1980. Variations due to exogenous rather than
fishing effort factors (Caribbean fish kill, urchin die off,
hurricanes, etc). Effort in equilibrium with resource. ACLs create
artificial (and unnecessary) requirement for reduction and
administratively create overfishing. Inconsistent with MSA National
Standards.
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St. Thomas/St. John Combined Average Finfish Landings
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St. Thomas/St. John Combined Finfish Landings (3 yr average)
with 2000-2008 OFL
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St. Thomas/St. John Combined Finfish Landings (3 yr average)
with 2000-2008 ACL
Slide 34
National Standard Inconsistency National Standard 1 requires
that Conservation and management measures shall prevent overfishing
while achieving, on a continuing basis, the optimum yield from each
fishery. CFMC ACLs are creating artificial limitations for St.
Thomas fishermen which are not required as the fishery has been
stable throughout the past four decades while documented
overfishing in Puerto Rico is being ignored. National Standard 2
requires that Conservation and management measures shall be based
upon the best scientific information available. Port sampling data
is the best data regarding the species and families and has been
ignored. Niemeth research ignored, impacts of 2005 actions
ignored.
Slide 35
National Standard 4 requires that Conservation and management
measures shall not discriminate between residents of different
States. Analysis of the impacts of the ACLs shows that the impacts
fall entirely upon Virgin Islands fishermen despite the fact that
overfishing in Puerto Rico has been well documented in numerous
scientific studies showing overfishing in Puerto Rico. National
Standard 6 requires that Conservation and management measures shall
take into account and allow for variations among, and contingencies
in, fisheries, fishery resources, and catches. Variability within
the St. Thomas/St. John fishery is low and almost entirely due to
exogenous factors. These cannot be regulated as an element of the
fishery but should be considered in establishing a management
regime for the District. This has been ignored in setting the ACLs
for St. Thomas.
Slide 36
National Standard 8 Conservation and management measures shall,
consistent with the conservation requirements of this Act
(including the prevention of overfishing and rebuilding of
overfished stocks), take into account the importance of fishery
resources to fishing communities by utilizing economic and social
data that meet the requirements of in order to (A) provide for the
sustained participation of such communities, and (B) to the extent
practicable, minimize adverse economic impacts on such communities.
At its 136th meeting the Caribbean Fishery Management Council voted
unanimously to designate the Virgin Islands and certain Puerto
Rican fishing villages as Fishing Communities under the terms of
the MSRA. Thus, passage of recent ACLs in 2010 and 2011 should have
been accompanied by in-depth analysis of the impacts of those
actions upon the Virgin Islands fishing communities.
Slide 37
What can be done within the constraints of the MSA? Not much,
but the Council can at least acknowledge the problem. The SSC has
not proved to be helpful nor has it seriously examined actual data.
This should change. Consider seriously the problems with the
national standard inconsistencies.
