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Monitoring
the Saba Bank Fishery
F.
Dilrosun
October
2000
Executive
summary
From
April 23, 1999 to May 30, 2000 a comprehensive survey was undertaken of
the fishery of the Saba Bank. This catch assessment and monitoring program
was initiated by the Environmental Division of the Department of Public
Health and Environment of the Government of the Netherlands Antilles in
Willemstad to determine the degree of exploitation of the fisheries resources
of the Saba Bank. The objective of the program was to collect fishery dependent
data on the different target species of the Saba Bank.
The
survey found that the Saba Bank fishermen engage in two types of fisheries:
a spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) fishery, and a snapper fishery targeting
mainly: silk snapper (Lutjanus vivanus) and blackfin snapper (Lutjanus
buccanella). The main fishery activity on the Saba Bank was the lobster
fishery; snappers were targeted less frequently.
The
total lobster catch per year amounted to about 90 tons and the total red
snapper catch came to 12 tons per year. During the study it became clear
that a high percentage of lobsters landed were under the legal size limit
and a substantial percentage of berried lobsters were landed. Furthermore
a considerable number of traps were lost, due to ship traffic and hurricanes.
None of these traps were fitted with a biodegradable panel, so the lost
traps may be extremely damaging to the ecology and consequently the fish
stock of the Saba Bank.
Snapper
catches were considered fairly good, although the targeted specimens were
relatively small in size.
About
50 fishermen were active in the fishery and the Saba Bank fishery sector
generated a gross economical value of 2 million Guilders (1.1 million US$)
over 1999.
As
result of the program the following regulations are now being strictly
enforced:
·Presence
of a biodegradable panel in each trap;
·Legal
mesh size of 1.5? or 3.8 mm;
·Legal
size limit for lobsters;
·Prohibition
to land berried lobsters;
·Prohibition
to land lobsters in ecdysis;
·Prohibition
to fish without a license in both the Saban territorial waters and the
Economic Fishery Zone (EFZ) of the Netherlands Antilles.
As
average length of the main snapper species of the Saba Bank is relatively
small, it is recommended not to increase the total fishing effort for snappers,
until more data are available.
Despite
the fact that catches and average lengths of the lobsters seem to be good,
the maximum sustainable yield calculations available in literature dealing
with the Saba Bank, although admittedly very rough, seem to indicate that
the present day fishing effort may be close to the limit of sustainable
levels of exploitation. Until further research is completed and maximum
sustainable yield can be calculated no further fishing permits should be
issued.
It
is urgently recommended that either the Central or Saba Island Government
appoint a body to follow up on this study and collect the necessary fishery
dependent data.
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