FISHER IES OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
Willard N. Browne ll
T he northeastern Caribbean from Pue rto Ci guatera F ish P ois oning Ricoto Antigua has been extensively explored during the past 10 years by various i nter ests The fis hi ng indust ry in the northeastern seeki ng to locate exploit able stocks of fish . Caribbean (and especially the Virgin Islands) From a large-scale c omme r c i a l standp oint, is further hampered by the problem of cigua these efforts have been fruitle ss. Consi stent tera fish poisoning. Ciguatoxin builds up ly small catches have been rep orted by the over a period of time in the muscle and Puer to Ric o Departme nt of Agricultu re, the vis cera of fish representing a broad range of UNDP/FAO Caribbe an F ishery Development species, feeding habits, size, and geograph Project, the Japane s e fishing op eration based ical l ocation in the tropics. Often two fish of on St. Martin, and the Na tiona l Marine Fis h the same size and species caught in the same eries Se rvice following explora tory cruises. pot will p roduce debilitating illness in all people who eat one fish--while those who eat Plankton productivity is very l ow in this the second experience no harmful effects at region relative to k nown produ cti ve fishing all. Individuals of all commercially impor grounds of the w orld . Har graves, Brody, and tant bottom fish in the northeastern Caribbean Burkholde r (1 970) have shown that nutrients have been reported as occasional or common are extremely limite d due primarily to sparse carriers of ciguatoxin (Halstead, 1970). runoff from t he i slands, lack of upwelling, and Though toxic fish are uncommon, many res unfavorable cu rrents that carry nutrients taurants and even local housewives are un out of t he r e gion). willing to run the small risk of contracting the severe nervous system disorders pre The P roble ms cipitated by un in tend e d consumption of a ciguatera -carrying fish. Despite many years Given the r estr icted natural productivity of investigation in the Virgin Islands and of t he area, t he effects of man-i mposed lim Hawaii (the problem is more serious around iting fa ct ors a re i ntensified. Minor fishing some Pacific Islands), it is impossible to tell pre ssure from handline and pot fishing efforts (except through fe eding and bioassay tests already appears t o have dim i n ish e d the that are somet imes inaccurate) whether or stocks of reef fish in the shallow shelf waters not a fish is toxic. Indeed, the chemical na south of St. Thom as, where m uch of the ture of the toxin and its source at the begin small-boat Virgin Islands fleet operates. ning of t he food chain have not even been Pollution from dredging, municipal sewage, clearly de fine d. Robert W. Brody at Carib garbage dumping, a nd oil spills has rendered bean Re search Institute is working on the the marine e nvironment intolerable for most toxicology and epidemiology of ciguatera in commercially important fishe s around sev the Virgin Islands, with Sea Grant financial e ral bay s of t he s ou th coasts of St. Croix and support. St. Thomas. The r eclamation of shallow bay s and mangrove forests for res idental, resort, Modern Fishing M ethods Handicapped and industrial development p os es an ever increasing thre at to the fisheries . These Modern high-y ie ld fishing methods cannot prot ecte d are a s, s o important as nursery be used in the Virgin Islands. Purse seining and fee ding grounds for fish and shellfish, is useless because schools of pelagic fish are methodi ca ll y being destroyed in the are small, scattered, and not c onfined by Virgin Islands by m an - induced siltation and thermal boundaries. Trawling of any sort is filling. impractical because the fish populations are
Mr. Brownell was associated with the Caribbean Research Institute, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
This study was conduc ted in cooperation with federal assistance program s of the National Marine Fishe ries. Se rvice (P~blic Law 88- 3(9) a nd Bureau of Sport Fishe ries and Wildlife und er Dingell-Johnson Program. The V. 1. Governme nt proVIded matching funds.
COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW L- ~rint No. 924
23 24 dispersed and the good bottom habitats are types of gear very difficult to set within the huge jagged coral formations, steep irregular narrow limits of the s tee p shelf slopes. slopes, or mounds and canyons of rocks and Hookline fishing is fairly efficient if the wind coral. Longlining is susceptible to severe is right ither for drifting parallel to the tangling amidst the rocks and coral, and shelf margin or for anchoring up on the top pillaging by sharks, unless the gear is de of the dropoff. The latter method can waste signed for large, aggressive species. much time if none of the scattered schools happens to be near the boat. Pot fishing is Fishing in the northeastern Caribbean is the most productive in areas where the slope done almost exclusively from 16-22 ft. open is less than 60 degrees. Well-baited pots boats with outboard motors. Most fish are that remain stationary on the slope will com caught by hand lining or pot fishing. Power monly catch 50 lbs. of fish or more per 6-12 haulers and depth finders are seldom used. hour set. Longlining can also be productive Marketing systems, shore support facilities, in sets of short duration on the gentler slopes, and cooperative activities are virtually non if the boat has a good crew and power hauler. existent. Swingle, Dammann, and Yntema Unfortunately, there are very few locations (1970) report that 400 individuals in the U.S. around the northeastern Caribbean island Virgin Islands earn at least part of their shelf margins that are not too steep for set livelihood from fishing. Most fishermen hold gear fishing. Only about one -third of the total down at least one other job. The market shelf slope area around the Virgin Islands is potential would allow a great deal more in conducive to long-line or pot fishing. come from fishing if it were possible to lo cate greater stocks of nonciguatoxic fish and 1314 Fish Tested to equip fishermen for catching them more efficiently. The principal deepwater shelf slope spe cies in this region (silk, blackfin, voraz, black, and vermilion snappers, and misty RECENT DEEP WATER FISHERY RESEARCH groupers) are considerabl) less prone to be ciguatoxic than their relatives that inhabit the shallow shelf waters. Of 1314 deepwater Exploratory fishing accomplished through snappers and groupers tested by the Virgin the Caribbean Research Institute (CRI) on Islands project through controlled human St. Thomas and the UNDP / F AO Caribbean consumption, only four were toxic. All four Fishery Development Pro j e c t (CFDP) on were large, old fish (3 were mist) groupers Barbados in 1970 and 1971 indicates that over 25 lbs.). They were caught (see map) commercially ex pI 0 ita b 1 e populations of where the shallow-water species are known snapper and grouper exist along the shelf to have a high incidence of ciguatera (Brownell margins of the northeastern Caribbean is and Raine), 1971) . The CFDP has marketed lands. The CRI work was done around the tens of thousands of silk and vermilion snap periphery of the nor the r n Vir gin Islands per from the Caribbean with no reported shelf and St. Croix (see map), primarily with incidents of poisoning. The other species multiple hook -line rigs on mechanical reels. under consideration have always been The most successful CFDP explorations were eaten extenSively throughout most of the re realized on the nor the r n edge s of Saba, gion. This has resulted in only very occa Anguilla, and Barbuda banks, using Z-type sional cases of ciguatera. Because of their Antillean fish pots. Efforts around the rest exceptional taste, fine t ext u r e, culinary of the islands of the Greater and Lesser versatility, and eye appeal, the deepwater Antilles generally yielded poor catches. snappers and groupers command premium prices on the sparsely supplied local mar Fishing In Dropoffs kets and the hotel-restaurant circuit.
The res ide n t shelf-edge snapper and DEEP \VATER CO:\Ii\1ERCIAL FISHES grouper popUlations are concentrated around the slopes and cliffs of the dropoffs in 30 to In the Virgin Islands, the most abundant 200 fathoms (see graph). The methods used commercial species around the shelf margins for fishing in this situation (pots, long lines, is the silk snapper (Lutjanus vivanusl; this and mechanical reel hook -line) have severe ranges from 40 to 175 fathoms (see graph). limitations. Rough seas, rapid drifting, and Blackfin snappers (Lutjanus buccanella) are the infeasibility of anchoring make all three abundant in a shallower domain (30 to 125 25
-- . - . -.-.- . ~ ./ --.-- - / / / / /~o /~ /,~o -Q --0..10- ~~ --fP.~P _ ------' -;-00 ._.- .-- .--. Kingfish Banks Barracouta Banks Guana\>
TObagoij o o \) C> \)Hans Lollik
cJ Savana
Qo Buck
Frenchcap o ~~/ -. 100 ~ 0 - :- -_.-..... _----- . --..,/ \ .- --fA-r,.,O n~9,- · -- . ____ ~ V · \ - -... . / - ~ _./ .j
~ Vieques
Map of the Virgin Islands Showing Sampling Area Along Dropoff.
Shaded Portions Re p resent Areas of Encounter with Ciguatera. 26
"- \ Anguilla \---+~ St. Martin \ ) /
Great o Camanoe o <;:)~o~ ot> ~Beef , " I ,o / N , , Ginger; Round ",' :' Barracuda Cooper}) 2::J Rock , ,-' Bank Saltq ~ • .r·-- ,I ,,/ '- --" /'- 5 0 5 I ! ! scale in miles S _.-.-- r '--._. - ../ Lang ) ./' -.--- <> Bank r·'-.....,-/· Buck / ( / ) / / ) / ~
""'-. ~.~ . St. CROIX (40 miles due south of St. Thomas) 27
210
200
180 175
166
150
o 142 E P T 124 125 H 120 118 I 114 N
F 101 A T 90 91 H 87 o M 78 80 S 73
60 55
40
30 30
n =846 n 0=130 n=246 n_64
O~------~------r------~------~------SILK VORAZ BLACKFIN MISTY SNAPPER SNAPPER SNAPPER GROUPER
Depth Distributions of Four Virgin Islands Deep Water Fishes. Lines Represent Total Range. Shaded Bars Indicate One Standard Deviation on Either Side of the Mean. The 64 Misty Groupers Include 16 Caught on CFDP Cruises in the Northeastern Caribbean in 1970. (From Brownell and Rainey, 1970) 28 fathoms). Since most exploratory fishing in PROBLEMS A D PROMISE OF this project was done in 60 or more fathoms, FISHERY DEVELOPM E 1 the percentage by weight of blackfins was not as great as might be expected. Rivas (1970) To succ d economically, any fishing op showed that these characteristically deep eration in the Virgin Islands will have lo be water snappers may range occasionally into div rsified. It will use as a focal point th even shallower water than encountered in the 40 to 150 fathom band at the shdf edge exten Virgin Islands. He used the extensive NMFS ding from northwest of St. Thomas to An .g
Species of Bottom Fish (By Weight and umbers) Caught in 40 to 180 Fathoms by Hook -line and Pot Fishing in Virgin Islands Explorations, 1970 -1971
Species Scientific Name (s) Total Lbs. o. of Fish
Silk snapper Lutjanus vivanus 2,352 846
Groupers Epinephelus mystacinus, 1,014 69 (9 species) E. guttatus, E. striatus, E. adscensionis, E. flavolimbatus, Petromeptopon cruentatum, Mycteroperca interstitialis, M. venenosa, Cephalopholis fulva
Blackfin snapper Lutjanus buccanella 595 246
Other snappers Lutjanus jocu, L. analis, 377 195 (7 species) L. purpureus, Rhomboplites aurorubens, Pristipomoides macrophthalmus, Apsilus dentatus, Etelis oculatus
Other species Caulolatilus, Seriola, Caranx, 365 36 (5 genera) Malacanthus, Haemulon 29 potential. At the s ame time, cons iderably If there is proper management, a small fleet larger boats with more s ophi sticated gear of fast 22-25-ft. fiberglass displacement hull would tear up their nets (and t he b ottom) and boats with mechanical haulers could increase would not make large - e nough c atches to catch and meet local demand without depleting justify the initial investme nt. the resource. A standardized boat-building program operated by trained fishermen and POT F ISHING with government financing would be nece ssary. Basic fish handling. distribution, cold stor age, and ice-making facilities are essential. Beyond the problems of ciguatera, rough Also needed are reasonably priced services seas, long distance s to good fis hi ng grounds, to fishermen in boat repair, engine mainten and bottoms gene rally not conducive to effec ance' and wholesale or duty-free supply of tive fishing, the fishe rme n m u s t also contend gear. equipment, and fuel. with theft and vandalism of fish p ots. Many pot fisherme n ha ve recently gone out of bus Probably a 30 to40 ft. lobster or shrimp iness bec ause s omuch of their gear has been type boat requiring a relatively small invest stol e n, picke d c le an, or d estroyed by ment - -and with a hard working crew, efficient thieves. The Virgin Is lands government re equipment, and plenty of range - -c ould yield fuse s to make any pr6vi sions to protect fish a decent livingfortwofishermen. This could erme n "in t his regard." not be done without better marketing, gear procurement, and repair arrangements. The basic flat Antillean fish pot (of the "S", "Z", or "arrowhea d" type) is still the most Unfortunately Carribbean island govern effective way to c atch bottom fish around the ments have yet to realize that their ec onomic, Caribbean b anks in one to 200 fathoms. For social, and aesthetic future depends upon the be st catche s, t hey should be baited with well-planned management of the marine en fresh oily or bloody fish, and the funnel en vironment. There must soon occur a reversal trances improved to r educe escapement. Scu of the trend toward sacrificing all human and ba stu die s offish behavior inresponse to var natural resources for the sake of developing ious typ e s of p ot sets in Jamaica (Munro, tourism. The short-term approach of severe Reeson, a nd Gaut, 1971) and in the Virgin ly altering coastal marine environments to Islands (a ssi ste d by Lou Barr of NMFS Auke construct resorts, and to channel all man Bay, Alaska l ab orator y) show that tradition power into tourist services will result in the al funnels a llow a l arge percentage of fish to unbalanced and destructive use of certain re escape . Some nonreturn devices for pot sources. Eventually, fishermen and farmers apertures could be adapted. The effective would disappear. Government investment, pear -shaped funnel types with the inner edges fishermen effort, appropriate legislation, turne d d own (some of the better fishermen fisheries extension, and training programs build them) c ould be employed more widely could build a fishing industry in the islands (Browne ll and Ra iney, 1971). The problem of that would provide economic diversity, better the ft a nd v andalism could be greatly dimin nutrition. a fresh fish boost to tourism, more ished with the use of "pop-ups" on buoy lines, jobs, and more efficient use of the limited but or running p ots in strings that could be grap available fishery resources. pled and lift e d with a pot hauler. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS C ONCLUSIONS FY 1971 Virgin Islands fisheries research Though the delightful Caribbean climate was supported by the National Marine Fish makes fishing in the Virgin Islands region a eries Service under Public Law 88-309 (Pro pleasant a ctivity, the catch per-unit-effort is ject No. 2-121-R), and the Bureau of Sport extreme ly low, especially in the long run. Fisheries and Wildlife under the Dingell For fishe r men to make a decent living, and Johnson program (Project No. F-6). Re local markets to offer an adequate supply of quired matching funds were provided by the fresh fish, fishermen and government must V.l. Government. The graph and map were make an organized effort to establish and prepared by Barry A. Smith. carry out a p r ogram of fishery development. 30
LrJ 1:.1 "URI. e ll 1-1)
BROWNELL, W.N. and W.E. RAINEY 1971. Research and d,,,elol'll1,,nt "r de"l) Wollo 0111111 r lid lin the J'C'rforman o f th An and sport fisheries ''''I.Jllll.1 tIl<' Vllqlll I 1,1n..!s pi t,·.1U. D FISh rl I 10- Contribution No.3, VInI'Il I lands ~ ... I Ojl .. I R,· lllOn(' v m- searchSlatlon. C,lnbh~all Res Ir h In t tute, Coli CJ of the Vtrglll Islands. St. ThoDI"', W I. r. IU A , I.R. HALSTFAD, B.W. MS. 1 70. S",'1 n of th • It m Atlantic, Comm. fu R v, 1970. Results of a fldd surv } (Ill I ISh I 1 nlO9 In th VirqlO 32 ( 1)1 1 44. and Leeward Islolnds during 7 -I lh J nuary, 1 70. UN/FAO Cartbbean FisherIeS D v I .,nI,·nl Pro) I. Barhados, W.1.
HARGRAVES, P.E., R,\\. BRODY, nd P,R . BURKHOlDER 1970. A study of the p/"ytolla!lkWn In th Less r Antill s 9100. Bull. Mar. I. 2 (2): 31 3 Q
CAYMAN ,. ..- ISLANDS
JAMAICA A'T\CU" '.TSERRAT ,&,="UAOELOUPE C' ('1 rib I-, C L1 17 ,