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Evaluation of Recreational Fishing Demand for Billfish Resources in Guatemala Julie Elizabeth Brown University of Miami, [email protected]

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Evaluation of Recreational Fishing Demand for Billfish Resources in Guatemala Julie Elizabeth Brown University of Miami, Julie.Elizabeth.Brown@Gmail.Com University of Miami Scholarly Repository Open Access Dissertations Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2019-07-26 Evaluation of Recreational Fishing Demand for Billfish Resources in Guatemala Julie Elizabeth Brown University of Miami, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations Recommended Citation Brown, Julie Elizabeth, "Evaluation of Recreational Fishing Demand for Billfish Resources in Guatemala" (2019). Open Access Dissertations. 2340. https://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/2340 This Open access is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at Scholarly Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI EVALUATION OF RECREATIONAL FISHING DEMAND FOR BILLFISH RESOURCES IN GUATEMALA By Julie Elizabeth Brown A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of the University of Miami in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Coral Gables, Florida August 2019 ©2019 Julie Elizabeth Brown All Rights Reserved UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy EVALUATION OF RECREATIONAL FISHING DEMAND FOR BILLFISH RESOURCES IN GUATEMALA Julie Elizabeth Brown Approved: ________________ _________________ Nelson Ehrhardt, Ph.D. Elizabeth Babcock, Ph.D. Professor of Marine Ecosystems Professor of Marine Biology and and Society Ecology ________________ _________________ David Die, Ph.D. David Letson, Ph.D. Professor of Marine Ecosystems and Society Professor of Marine Ecosystems and Society ________________ __________________ David Carter, Ph.D. Guillermo Prado, Ph.D Economist Dean of the Graduate School National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, Miami, Florida BROWN, JULIE ELIZABETH (Ph.D., Marine Biology and Fisheries) Evaluation of Recreational Fishing Demand for Billfish Resources in Guatemala (August 2019) Abstract of a dissertation at the University of Miami. Dissertation supervised by Professor Nelson Ehrhardt. No. of pages in text. (196) Bycatch mortality from commercial tuna fisheries threatens billfish populations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, which are also used for lucrative recreational tourism industries. The recreational billfish fishery in Guatemala is characterized by seasonally high daily sailfish catch rates, consistently 2-3 times higher than anywhere else on Earth, and is entirely catch-and-release. The anglers are predominantly tourists, bringing financial contributions to Guatemala. Until now, Guatemala’s government and international tuna management organizations could not consider the value of this sustainable use of billfish resources, because previous estimates were poorly defined and estimated. We used an innovative, market-based technique to estimate the value of Guatemala’s recreational fishery, which eliminates the hypothetical bias that has plagued previous estimates of other billfish resources. Based on charter fishing client transactions in 2017, we estimate that the value of the billfish resources in Guatemala is approximately $1 Million when used for catch-and-release fishing. We also identify factors and variables that support the demand for these services. The predominant aspect drawing anglers to fish in Guatemala is their expectation of high daily catch rates; over half of the respondents self-reported that this was their motivation for choosing Guatemala. Anglers explicitly seeking high catch rates were more satisfied following their fishing trip than those who were motivated by other reasons, despite many over-predicting their success rates. Anglers traveling to Guatemala were also highly experienced; on average, they had been fishing specifically for billfish for 13 years. These factors contribute to our theory that anglers traveling to Guatemala are seeking a unique experience that cannot be expected when fishing elsewhere. We also describe the dynamic environmental conditions supporting the high, seasonal catch rates that draw anglers to Central America. Using tournament Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) indices, we found support for the theory that local density and habitat compression affect the recreational catch rates. When the habitat was more compressed, Guatemalan anglers fishing in the yearly tournament saw higher catch rates, indicative of increased fish vulnerability to the surface fishing gear. Here, we suggest that catchability is indicative of very localized conditions, and cannot be applied stock-wide. Our evidence suggests that high seasonal catch rates (in recreational tournaments or for-hire fishing) sampled from a peripheral, small portion of the entire stock distribution should not be interpreted as indicators of sailfish abundance. Instead, these catch rates should be viewed as the foundation of valuable tourism industries, and be preserved as such. Acknowledgements This work would not have been possible without the efforts of my advisor, Dr. Nelson Ehrhardt, who tirelessly seeks new opportunities for his students. Dr. Ehrhardt has generously funded me throughout my Master’s and Ph.D., in addition to the priceless knowledge and wisdom he bestowed. I also thank my committee for their support and guidance; Dr. Elizabeth Babcock, Dr. David Die, Dr. David Letson, and Dr. David Carter. I also thank my fellow lab mates Dr. Bruce Pohlot and Dr. Mark Fitchett. I have learned so much from both of these two colleagues. They are the closest I will ever come to having brothers, and they have been there for me through thick and thin. I would also like to thank the funding sources that have supported my research and the additional research performed in the Billlfish Lab. Tim Choate has generously supported our research for many years. Donations through the Central American Billfish Association have also provided opportunities for us. I have additionally received funding through the Harry D. Vernon Scholarship. On a personal note, I thank my parents Kathy Jencks and Steve Brown, who have always encouraged me to follow my dreams. Lastly, I would like to thank the entire Virginia Key community, which is full of passionate students, researchers, and professionals. The inclusive, welcoming atmosphere touches everyone who passes through this institution. I have made lifelong friends, who iii have supported me and taught me so much. There will never be a place more special to me than RSMAS. iv Table of Contents List of Figures……………………………………………………………………..……viii List of Tables…………………………………………………………………………... xvi Chapter 1: Introduction…………………………………………………………………... 1 1.1 Commercial Exploitation of Billfish…………………………………………. 1 1.2 Billfish Mortality Trends…………………………………………………….. 6 1.3 Fisheries Management Organizations………………………………………... 9 1.4 Billfish Sport Fisheries in the Eastern Pacific Ocean……...……………...... 11 1.5 Sustainable Use of Billfish Resources………………………………...……. 14 1.6 Problem Identification, Purpose, and Objectives…………………………… 16 Chapter 2: Establishing Catchability Regimes for Pacific Sailfish Using Tournament CPUE………………………..…….………………………………….………… 18 2.1: Background………………………………………………………………… 18 Eastern Pacific Ocean…………………………………………………. 19 Circulation patterns in the Eastern Pacific Ocean …………………...... 20 Currents………………………………………………………………… 24 Thermocline and Oxygen Minimum Layer….………….………………. 26 El Niño………………………………………………………………….……….. 28 Tournament Catch Rates (CPUE)………….……..….….………….….. 30 2.2 Problem Identification, Purpose and Objectives…………….…….……….………. 33 Dynamics CPUE……………………………………….….…….……… 34 2.3 Materials and Methods for Quantitative Analysis…………………………….……. 37 2.3.1 Data acquisition……………………………………………..…… 37 2.3.2 Analysis…………………………………………………………… 45 2.4 Results……………………………………………………………………………… 48 Guatemala……………………………………………………………… 48 Costa Rica……………………………………………………………… 52 2.5 Discussion …………………………………………………………………………. 70 v Guatemala………………………………………………………….…… 71 Costa Rica………………………………………………………….…… 71 Chapter 3: Angler Motivation and Satisfaction in Guatemala’s Recreational Fishery for Billfish…………..……………………………………………………………… 81 3.1 Background……...………………………………………………………….. 81 Angler preferences………..…………………………………………….. 82 Billfish Anglers………………..………………………………………… 87 Fishing in Guatemala………….………………………..……………… 86 3.2 Problem Identification, Purpose, and Objectives…………..………….……. 89 3.3 Materials and Methods……………..…………………………………….…. 91 Survey Protocol………...……………………………………………….. 91 Angler Demographics, Gear Preference and Avidity………………..…. 92 Angler Opinions……………...…………………………………………. 92 Angler Motivations, Expectations and Satisfaction………..…………… 93 Multivariate Analysis………….…..……………………………………. 95 Lodge Occupancy and Fishing Reports………..……………………….. 96 3.4 Results..………………………………………………………………….….. 97 Angler demographics…..……………………………………………….. 97 Angler opinions……….………………………………………………… 98 Abundance expectations……………….………………………………... 99 Angler specialization, motivation, and satisfaction………...…………. 100 Motivations……………………………………………………………. 101 Satisfaction………………………………………………….…………. 104 3.5 Discussion…………………………………………………………………. 119 Diminishing marginal utility for fish density and successful catches..... 123 Potential measurement error……………..………..….........…. 126 Chapter 4: Determining the Value of Guatemala’s Recreational Billfish Fishery……………………………………………………..…….….... 129 4.1 Background……………………………………………………...… 129
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