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The Lobster Fisheries of the Caribbean

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The Lobster Fisheries of the Caribbean The Lobster Fisheries of the Caribbean he Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus) fisheries stretch from Bermuda to Brazil, including the Caribbean islands and coastal countries. Most Tmembers of the Palinuridae family, with 8 genera and 47 species wordwide, are found in shallow waters and live in coral reefs or among rocks. In Central America, the commercial lob- ster fishery has been active for more than 100 years, focusing mainly on P. Aarhus and, to a lesser extent, on P. Guttatus and P. Laevicauda. The region is one of the most important production areas in the Greater Caribbean, ranking third behind Cuba and the Bahamas, and ahead of the United States and Mexico. Panulirus argus, the most commonly fished species, has the following charac- teristics: • Grows to a total length of up to 45cm. • Lives in shallow waters to a depth of 90m or more. • Habitats include coral reefs, rocks, sea- grasses and mangroves. • Is gregarious and migratory. • Females move to deeper waters to lay their eggs, traveling by day in rows or lines of up to 50 individuals, moving together and maintaing contact with their antennae. Hatching usually takes place from April to October when the temperature is above 23º C. • After settling in a crevice, lobsters reach a length of approximately 7.5 cm in the first year. They remain there from 3 and 4 years before being recruited into the fishery. Panulirus argus is intensively fished operations. Furthermore, there is evidence Recommendations for in the region, both by small-scale fisher- that the total production of the fleets is begin- better lobster management men and industrial fleets, using a variety ning to decline. practices: of methods: free diving, gill nets, lobster It is necessary therefore to change cer- traps, harpoons and aggregating devices. tain fishing practices in the region and to • Harmonize criteria on closed seasons, Export earnings from lobster main- implement others that will help improve minimum legal catch sizes and tain a significant population of fishermen, management of the lobster resource, pro- permitted fishing gear as well as boat operators, processing plant workers moting its recovery in the mid to long term. criteria for monitoring the fishing effort and related services in Belize, Honduras, One of the most common problems with and the capacity of the fisheries. Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. diving is the capture of juvenile lobsters and • Develop a joint strategy among coun- Over in the last 15 years, the total pro- egg-bearing females. And diving is one of the tries to create better conditions to duction exported by Central America to the most serious problems, both in terms of its guarantee recruitment into the lobster United States increased from 1,908 Metric impact on human health and lives, and on the fisheries. Each country should increase Tones (MT) to 3,646MT, with the annual aver- vitality of the ecosystem since the social and its effort to determine which are the age estimated at 2,944.1MT. Furthermore, environmental cost of this type of harvests best settlement areas for lobster lar- the fisheries of Nicaragua and Honduras is very high. vae and the critical areas for raising dominated the region’s production, grow- However, the high dependence of diving juveniles. ing from a 65% share in 1989 to 87.5% communities on the income earned from this • Promote the establishment of marine in 2003. activity suggests that, alongside its elimina- protected areas and the implementa- Belize, Costa Rica and Panama, com- tion, efforts to guarantee alternative income tion of management plans for those bined, have had a smaller share in the generation activities associated with fisheries habitats. region’s seafood production and exports to must redoubled. • Collect reliable statistical information the United States. At the start of the period on catches, including data on popula- (1989), Panama occupied third place with tion dynamics and natural history. 21%, followed by Belize with 9.8% and • Establish a regional working group for Costa Rica with 4%. From 1993 onwards, this fishery. Belize has occupied third place, displacing • Promote and disseminate better fish- Panama. In 2003, Belize continued to occu- ing practices, particularly to targeted py third place in exports (8.3%), followed populations in coastal communities. by Panama (3.7%) and Costa Rica (0.5%). Nicaragua and Honduras currently con- tribute 87.5% of Central American exports to the United States. Of particular impor- tance is the production obtained from the Miskito Coast, which generates around 40% of Nicaragua’s production. PHOTO: CARLOS DREWS Lobster scarcity Lobster fisheries productivity is show- ing signs of decline throughout the region, particularly in terms of overall lobster catches and the performance of the fish- ing industry. Given this situation concerns about the fisheries sustainability, produc- tivity and ecosystem health. Taking the average annual yields per ves- sel in Nicaragua as a reference point, it can be concluded that a greater fishing effort using more vessels or more effective tech- nology, such as diving with air-tanks, will not increase the profitability of individual fishing The establishment of marine protected areas is a good alternative for the conserva- tion of lobster and other marine species What follows is a summary of the current situation, challenges and Current status of lobster trends in the lobster value chain in the Caribbean Coast of Central America. In catches by areas addition this section analyzes the criti- cal points in the process of promoting this is a marginal problem but one that must the use of better management practic- BELIZE 1 be controlled to obtain certification. es, or BMPs. These high yields leveled off after three The research work on the Spiny The country’s location is ideal for rapid years of abundance, prompting the authori- access to seafood markets in the United ties to conclude that lobster stocks were Lobster (Panulirus argus) focused spe- States, Mexico and Europe. In Belize, lobster being exploited to the limit of their sustain- cifically on the following areas: Belize, fishing is the artisanal fishery that generates ability and that allowing fishing in deeper the highest proportion of earnings. This waters would further endanger lobster Honduran and Nicaraguan Miskito fishery represented 7.2% of GDP in the year stocks. Coast and the Cahuita –La Amistad– Rio 2001, with a total value of US$33 million. Between 1999 and 2002 prices Cañas region in Costa Rica and Panama. The resource is extracted from the increased at a steady rate of 11%, rising The marine environment covers coral banks that extend along the entire from US$11.25 per pound a US$15.25 per more than 75% of the surface area in length of the Belizean continental shelf, pound. In 2003, prices fell by nearly one dol- some 50 kilometers offshore. The lobster lar per pound, and have remained between these zones. Biological production of is processed by plants located in Belize US$14 and US$14.25 per pound. The coun- the richest coastal regions competes City, the country’s main port and outlet for try’s total lobster production stands at more with the lushest tropical forests. exports where the fishing cooperatives are than 600,000 pounds annually. also based. The seafood industry provides Outboard motors were introduced in food for millions of people, but there the 1980s, facilitating access to shallow Key points is evidence that marine resources are fishing grounds and increasing the use of wooden traps. In a ten-year period the • Application of more sustainable practices declining due to unsustainable use. number of traps per fisherman increased • Producers organized in efficient and profit- The PROARCA/APM project works to from between 10 and 15, to 100 traps for able cooperatives disseminate and promote the adoption boats with outboard motors. Nowadays, • Compliance with legislation fisherman may have as many as 400 lobster • Use of wooden traps (“casitas”) and other of BMPs and to establish relationships traps. fishing methods with markets for differentiated prod- At the same time, in southern Belize • Quality certification ucts that offer better trading conditions. fishermen began to use trammel nets to • Opportunity for technology transfer by coop- catch lobster. Although this method pro- eratives The objective is to reduce the threats duced high yields, similar to those obtained • Differentiated marketing strategies to these natural resources and improve by lobster trappers in the North, it was conditions for sustainability. not a very eco-friendly system resulting in bycatch and damage to coral reef. Currently, A value chain is defined as “the series of stages, from the production of the primary good to its purchase by the end consumer, in which the product or service is processed, packaged, trans- ported and marketed, adding value at each stage”. PHOTO: CENTRAL AMERICA By knowing their position within this chain, producers and traders can identify the most critical activities for achieving competitive advantages and, simultane- ously, those that are key to promoting changes in current practices, adopting others that are more sustainable. Value Chain - Lobster Trap to Plant, U.S. Dollars per pound of lobster (tails) Trapper Processing Plant Processing Plant Importer Profit 68.00% Profit 7% Profit 25% Profit 4.76% NICARAGUAN 3MISKITO COAST Total brokerage Family 1.90% Food 0.027% Adm. Costs 10.22% costs 6.35% At the end of the seventies, lobster fish- ing increased reaching 2.81 million pounds Food 2.95% Fuel 5.09% Salaries 0.94% Costs 88.89% in 1978. However, the Miskito-Sandinista Ice 1.58% Boat payment 1.18% Electricity 1.94% conflict of 1983-1989 paralyzed economic activity in the area. From 1990 onward, Boat rent 7.60% Costs 86.00% Taxes 0.72% there was a resurgence in lobster fishing due to the establishment of three fish land- Fuel 14% Rent 0.05% ing facilities.
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