One of the most popular management tools for Caribbean reef fisheries is a minimum mesh size for traps. It is believed that increasing the mesh size of traps in overexploited fisheries will result in higher catch rates in the long term, but lower catch rates in the short term. This study represents the first attempt to document the short-term and long-term effects of partly replacing small mesh with a larger mesh size in an artisanal coral reef fishery. A community level mesh exchange program was initiated in the Discovery Bay trap fishery in March 1991, whereby active fishers were given large mesh (1.5 inch: 3.8 cm) wire to construct traps in exchange for handing in their small mesh (1 inch: 2.5 cm and 1.25 inch: 3.2 cm) traps. Although the total number of active traps and the total number of hauls per month did not significantly change in the fishery, the proportion of small mesh traps decreased substantially as a result of the mesh exchange program, leading to a concurrent reduction of fishing mortality in smaller sized fish. Changes in the fish populations were examined by comparing catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE as number of fish per trap per haul, and kg per trap per haul); mean size of individual fish; catch composition; and length frequency distributions for the 2 most common species, for both 1.25 inch and 1.5 inch traps in 3 separate 6 mo periods (July to December) in 1990 (10 mo before the implementation of the mesh exchange program), 1991 (immediately after the implementation of the mesh exchange program) and 1994 (3 yr after the implementation of the mesh exchange program). The results indicate that reef fish populations at Discovery Bay, and hence yields to the fishery, have increased in the 3 yr since the mesh exchange program was implemented. The number of fish caught per trap haul has increased; the total weight of the catch per trap haul, at least of the smaller mesh sizes, has increased; the catch composition has shlfted towards larger and more valuable species; the mean size of fish taken by the fishery is larger; and the population of 1 narrow-bodied species investigated has shifted towards larger size classes since the increase in mean mesh size in the fishery. However, despite an increase in the gross catch per week by the trap fishery, catch rates still differ markedly between small and large mesh traps, with small mesh traps catching less per haul but more per week than large mesh traps. As a consequence, fishers still using small mesh traps are benefitting the most from recovery of the reef fish populations, which demonstrates the need for further efforts to eliminate the smaller mesh traps from the fishery.
Jamaican north coast coral reef fish stocks have been over-exploited. The Fisheries Improvement Programme (FIP) began in 1988 to help fishers at Discovery Bay to introduce management measures. Social and cultural constraints included poverty and distrust among fishers. FIP initiated: 1) an education programme in reef fisheries and the possibilities of local management; 2) encouragement of a Discovery Bay Fishermens' Association; in 1994, Association members agreed on a voluntary protected area within Discovery Bay; 3) a Reserve Planning Group, representing all users of the bay; 4) contract with Fishermens' Association: grant funds were transferred to it to employ rangers; 5) marking and daily patrols within the Reserve starting in 1996; and 6) legalization of the Reserve, which was not obtained. Within two years of Reserve protection, fishers perceived an increase in fish abundance and asked that the protected area be extended. Studies on fish populations in 1996-98, showed that the Reserve delayed age and size at recruitment to the fisheries and enhanced catches in adjacent waters. The failure to gain legal status and lack of funds to maintain patrols after 1999, led to decline in compliance with the voluntary restrictions on fishing. Lessons are discussed.
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