` NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-597 NOAA Series on U.S. Caribbean Fishing Communities Cruzan Fisheries: A rapid assessment of the historical, social, cultural and economic processes that shaped coastal communities’ dependence and engagement in fishing in the island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands By Manuel Valdés-Pizzini University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico Juan J. Agar Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami, Florida Kathi Kitner Intel Corporation, Portland, Oregon Carlos García-Quijano University of Puerto Rico, Cayey, Puerto Rico Michael Tust and Francesca Forrestal Division of Marine Affairs and Policy, University of Miami Social Science Research Group Southeast Fisheries Science Center NOAA Fisheries 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami, Florida 33149 January 2010 NOAA Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-597 NOAA Series on U.S. Caribbean Fishing Communities Cruzan Fisheries: A rapid assessment of the historical, social, cultural and economic processes that shaped coastal communities’ dependence and engagement in fishing in the island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands By Manuel Valdés-Pizzini University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico Juan J. Agar Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami, Florida Kathi Kitner Intel Corporation, Portland, Oregon Carlos García-Quijano University of Puerto Rico, Cayey, Puerto Rico Michael Tust and Francesca Forrestal Division of Marine Affairs and Policy, University of Miami U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Gary Faye Locke, Secretary NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION Jane Lubchenco Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE James W. Balsiger, Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries January 2010 This Technical Memorandum series is used for documentation and timely communication of preliminary results, interim reports, or similar special-purpose information. Although the memoranda are not subject to complete formal review, editorial control, or detailed editing, they are expected to reflect sound professional work. ii NOTICE The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) does not approve, recommend or endorse any proprietary product or material mentioned in this publication. No reference shall be made to NMFS or to this publication furnished by NMFS, in any advertising or sales promotion which would imply that NMFS approves, recommends, or endorses any proprietary product or proprietary material mentioned herein which has as its purpose any intent to cause directly or indirectly the advertised product to be used or purchased because of this NMFS publication. This report should be cited as follows: Valdés-Pizzini, M., J. J. Agar, K. Kitner, C. García-Quijano, M. Tust, and F. Forrestal. 2010. Cruzan Fisheries: A rapid assessment of the historical, social, cultural and economic processes that shaped coastal communities’ dependence and engagement in fishing in the island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. NOAA Series on U.S. Caribbean Fishing Communities. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-597, 144 p. This report will be posted on the SEFSC web site at URL: http:// www.sefsc.noaa.gov/ Copies may be obtained by writing: Social Science Research Group Southeast Fisheries Science Center NOAA Fisheries 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami, Florida 33149 or National Technical Information Center 5825 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 (800) 553-6847 or (703) 605- 6000 http://www.ntis.gov/numbers.htm iii PREFACE The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Series, U.S. Caribbean Fishing Communities, is the result of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center’s Caribbean Sustainable Fishing Communities Initiative, which was brought about by the recognition that the success of coral reef conservation strategies hinges on the ability to reconcile the need to protect coral reef and associated environments with the local cultural, economic, political and social requirements of coastal communities. While valuable socio-economic research had been conducted, there was no comprehensive program to collect baseline socio-economic data in place for entire U.S. Caribbean. Most of the earlier research was driven by specific management concerns and had a restricted geographic scope. Moreover, a significant share of this research is now outdated and inadequate to support management actions and meet the new legal definitions and requirements put forth by Magnuson Stevens Act (MSA), particularly National Standard 8, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and Executive Orders 12898 and 12866. To address the above challenges, the Southeast Fisheries Science Center has commissioned a number of studies to develop a comprehensive overview of the historical, cultural, economic, and social condition of fishing communities in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands. This report entitled “Cruzan Fisheries: A rapid assessment of the historical, social, cultural and economic processes that shaped coastal communities’ dependence and engagement in fishing in the island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.” shows that there is a need to redefine the concept of ‘fishing community’ in light of local, regional and global realities, particularly in small- scale fisheries where fishermen engage in multiple livelihood strategies. The report also shows that there are a number of forces and processes that are gradually transforming our notion of a traditional Cruzan fishing community. Thus, the development of sound policies that seek to conserve and protect marine resources and habitats and maintain the economic and social viability of fishing communities needs to recognize the challenges and opportunities created by these transformations. This research was financed by the Coral Reef Conservation Program. We are grateful for the support of Jim Waters, Tom Jamir, Theo Brainerd and Peter Thompson of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Eugenio Piñeiro-Soler, Miguel Rolón, and Garciela Garcia-Moliner of the Caribbean Fishery Management Council, Toby Tobias of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ Division of Fish and Wildlife and Barbara Kojis, Roger Uwate, and Wes Toller formerly with the U.S. Virgin Islands’ Division of Fish and Wildlife. Ivan Mateo, Brian M. DeAngelis, Ana Krystalliá Valdés, and Michelle T. Schärer’s assistance is also acknowledged. - iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This study contributes to the description of fishing communities in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and an understanding of their levels of engagement and dependence on fishery resources. It discusses how homesteading and gentrification limited fishing communities’ access to the shore, transforming them from placed-based communities to network-based communities. In addition, the manuscript describes how declining stocks, government regulations, user conflicts and habitat degradation are threatening the livelihoods of fishermen. Drawing on our ethnographic assessment, which included both fieldwork and an extensive review of historical accounts, we describe the main social, political and cultural processes that fashioned fishing as an economic activity in St. Croix. In addition, we explore whether placed-based communities exist in St. Croix or whether St. Croix is a fishing community in itself. These two key questions guide our presentation and discussions throughout this manuscript. In our attempt to conceptualize these issues we introduce a historical framework which highlights the depth and complexity of the cultural, economic, and social processes that influenced Cruzan fisheries, and discuss the impact of recent fishery management actions on fishermen and their communities. The analysis also draws from the community typology developed by Griffith et al. (2007) for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and from the Natural Resource Community framework developed by Hall-Arber et al. (2001) for the New England region. This integrated approach allows us to understand communities in the present, trace their historical development, and frame them in the larger picture of regional relationships, economics and governance. Our hope is that this work will describe these processes, forces and impacts in a manner that assists fishery managers in the protection and conservation of fish resources and fishing communities. The analysis shows that socio-economic and environmental processes played an important role in shaping the economy and social make-up of the island of St. Croix. Four centuries of slavery, intensive sugarcane agriculture, land clearing (for cattle and new crops), urban growth, industrialization and tourism development appeared to have defined fishing as a ‘marginal’ economic activity. Fishing, as an economic endeavor, has always been a backdrop to the plantation economy, manufacturing, tourism and service industry since it only supported a relatively small fraction of the local employment and economy. However, this overlooks the complex and multifaceted aspects of fishing. Fishing is at the core of the identity of the Cruzan population, regardless of ethnic origin. In addition, fishing has long provided subsistence to many folks from different ethnic backgrounds. - v Trinidadians, ‘Continentals’ from the mainland U.S., Puerto Ricans, St. Lucians and many people of West Indian origin contributed to the formation of a class of fishers who brought with them their culture and their history, and who also served as a pool of labor to other sectors of the economy. Declining economic conditions in the twentieth century contributed to the dispersal of rural folks throughout the island. Many