WECAF STUDIES No. 6 Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC) INTERREGIONAL PROJECT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FISHERIES IN THE WESTERN CENTRAL ATLANTIC A REVIEW OF THE CLUPEOID AND CARANGID FISHERY RESOURCES IN THE WESTERN CENTRAL ATLANTIC by J .W. Reintjes Consultant WECAF Project FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME Panama, 1979 - ii - The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. DEVELOPMENT OF FISHERIES IN THE WESTERN CENTRAL ATLANTIC The Interregional Project for the Development of Fisheries in the Western Central Atlantic (WECAF), which was initiated in March 1975, entered its second phase on 1January1977. Its objectives are to assist in ensuring the full rational utilization of the fishery resources in the Western Central Atlantic through the development of fisheries on under-exploited stocks and the promotion of appropriate management actions for stocks that are heavily exploited. Its activities are coordinated by the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC) established by FAO in 1973. The Project is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as the Executing Agency. As in the initial phase, two series of documents will be prepared during the second phase of the Project to provide information on activities and/or studies carried out. This document is the sixth of the series WECAF Studies. The other series of documents is entitled WECAF Reports. W.F. Doucet Programme Leader - iv - ABOUT THE AUTHOR John Reintjes holds degrees in Biology and Chemistry from St. Johns University (Minnesota) and in Zoology from the University of Hawaii. He was engaged in oceanic tuna and tuna baitfish resources of the Central Tropical Pacific, 1949-1952; marine fisheries of the U.S. Middle Atlantic Bight, 1952-1955; Northwest Atlantic trawl fisheries, 1956; and menhaden and herring-like fishes of the world studies, 1956 to the present. He has conducted surveys and collected pelagic and neritic clupeoid fishes along the South Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States, in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. He participated in the Indian Ocean Expedition in 1964 to collect sardines and herring-like fishes in India. He has published more than 50 scientific papers. He is a fishery biologist at the Beaufort Laboratory of the Southeast Fisheries Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmos­ pheric Administration, Beaufort, N.C. 28516. Table of Contents 1. Summary 1 2. Conclusiones and Recommendations 1 3. Introduction 2 4. Fishery Productivity Zones 3 (a) Cape Hatteras to Cape Canaveral 5 (b) Southern Florida and The Keys 6 (c) Northern Gulf of Mexico 6 (d) Southern Gulf of Mexico and Campeche Banks 6 (e) Bahama Islands and Banks 6 (f) Greater Antilles 7 (g) Lesser Antilles 7 (h) Western Caribbean Sea 7 (i) Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Western Venezuela 7 (j) Northeastern Venezuela 8 (k) Guianas and Amazon Delta 8 (1) Northeastern Brazil 8 5. Herrings, Sardines, Anchovies, and Related Clupeoids 8 (a) Menhadens 10 (b) Atlantic Thread Herring 10 (c) Spanish Sardine 11 (d) Scaled Sardines 12 (e) Round Herring 13 (f) Dwarf Herring 13 (g) Anchovies 15 (h) Atlantic Anchoveta 17 6. Scads, Bumper and Related Carangids 19 (a) Round Scads 21 (b) Bigeye Scad 22 (c) Rough Scad 23 (d) Atlantic Bumper 23 7. Definition and Status of Stocks 23 8. Acknowledgements 25 9. Bibliographic References 26 Annex 1 - Summarized Information on Clupeoid and Carangid Resources in the Western Central Atlantic 30 Figure 1 - The Area of the WECAF Project 4 1. Summary Available information about the identity, biology, distribution, abun­ dance and fishery of clupeoids and carangids has been reviewed to formulate new opportunities for fishery development in the WECAF Project Area. Although some species or species groups have been identified that could be harvested at a higher level than at present, the quality and amount of existing information prevents the calculation of any reliable estimates about their fishery potential. The absence of reliable quantitative estimates should not prevent reasonable fishery develop­ ment efforts. As the gap bebveen fish demand and production is greatest in the Caribbean Islands, it is reconnnended that experimental fishing in selected localities for anchovies, dwarf and round herrings, and scads be undertaken. 2. Conclusions and Recommendations Information on the identity, distribution, and abundance of clupeoid and carangid fishery resources in the WECAF Project Area is limited from the Gulf of Mexico and off northeastern Venezuela and almost non-existent along the coasts of Central and South America, and in the Caribbean Islands. A review of existing information indicates that most of the spe­ cies and species groups, other than Atlantic and Gulf menhadens could be harvested in the WECAF Project Area at a higher level than at pre­ sent. However, until more is known about current landings and the distribution and abundance of most species, there can be little re­ liance in estimates of their potential for fishery development. The main limitation that has been found to define distribution and abundance for most of the groups reviewed has been the quality of the existing landings statistics. In the Western Central Atlantic (FAO Major Fishing Area for Statistical Purposes 31) 42 countries re­ ported catches in 1976, of these six are countries outside the Area, i.e., France, Italy, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Poland, and USSR. Of the 36 countries within the A:irea, only 10 reported any clupeoid or carangid catches and these comprised only a small percentage of the catch reported. No clupeoids or carangids are reported for the other 26 countries. Until there is a marked improvement in the statistical reporting of the kinds and quantities of fish landed in the WECAF Project Area, no further conclusions on pelagic fishery resources can be drawn. It is already known that inadequate reporting of landings from most of the countries is caused by limitations mainly affecting the col­ lection of such statistics. It is therefore recomruended that action be taken, at the national and regional level, to improve the quality of land­ ings statistics collected and their subsequent reporting to FAO. There are reasonable indications that Spanish sardines, Atlan­ tic thread herrings, round herring, Atlantic anchoveta, and round scad can support larger fisheries in some localities than are cur­ rently being conducted. Much more knowledge about stock size, popu­ lation and age structure, and movements is required before quantita­ tive estimates of fishery yields can be made. Most of the species that offer some potential for fishery ex­ pansion are found along the continental margins, usually near estua­ ries, bays and upwellings. Prospects for fishery development are more liimited in the Caribbean Islands because the productive zones, created by current boundaries, upwellings and estuaries are smaller. Dwarf herring, scaled sardines, and anchovies at times are abundant in the Antilles, however the market demand and utilization of these small fish is low. In addition, great seasonal variations in abun­ dance and availability make it difficult to develop a fishery. Scads are larger and more desirable as food but their occurrence and abun­ dance in the Antilles is not knovm. Certain localities in the WECAF Project Area have geographic and hydrographic characteristics that show greater promise for fi­ shery development. These current boundaries, down-current or island wake areas, and places with upwellings of nutrient water near banks, along continental shelves, and along passages between islands are likely localities for trial fishing. Experimental fishing in se­ lected areas is especially recommended during the cooler months. A programme of market development and consumer acceptance is re­ commended for clupeoids and carangids, with special emphasis on an­ chovies, dwarf herring and scaled sardines. As some clupeoids (Har~ngula humaralis Opisthonema oglinum) have been involved in cases of fish poisoning (Brody, 1972) such aspect should be consi­ dered during this programme. 3. Introduction The Western Central Atl~ntic is a greatly diverse fishery re­ source area with continents~ islands, and reefs surrounded by tem­ perate and tropical seas that are fed by over 100 rivers and mixed by ocean currents, seasonal winds and rains, and cyclonic storms. Except for a few fisheries, such as menhaden, penaeid shrimp, spiny lobster, tuna snappers and groupers, along the continental margins the fish resources are underexploited and underutilized. Pelagic fisheries include an aggregate of species and species groups that are the least exploited and utilized in the region co­ vered by the WECAF Project. Qualified exceptions to this are menha­ den and scomeromorid mackerels along the South Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, the Spanish sardine in the Gulf of Cariaco, Venezuela, the bluefin tuna that are currently being fished at or near the optimum yield. The pelagic fishery resources considered in this report are clupeoids (menhadens, herrings, sardines, and anchovies)