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Characterizing Participation in Non-Commercial Fishing and other Shore-based Recreational Activities on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Author(s): Goedeke, T. L. , Orthmeyer, A., Edwards, P., Dillard, M.K., Gorstein, M. and C.F.G. Jeffrey
NCCOS Center: CCMA
Center Team: Biogeography
Name of Publisher: NOAA/NCCOS
Publication Type: NOAA Technical Memoranda
Date of Publication: 2016
Reference Information: NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 209
Extent of Work: 93 pp
Keywords: Characterizing Participation in Non-Commercial Fishing and other Shore-based Recreational Activities on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, USVI, Shore-based Recreational Activities, Non-Commercial Fishing
Abstract: Non-commercial fishing, which includes recreational and subsistence fishing activity, is part of the culture and heritage of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Residents of USVI fish for enjoyment, to gather food, to bond with others, as well as for gifting and other traditional activities. According to a 2010 report, recreational fishing contributed an estimated 25 million USD to the economy per year. Though there is evidence that reef fish assemblages in the USVI have changed over time in part due to fishing pressure, reporting of catch is currently required only for the commercial fishing sector. Thus, little is known about the non-commercial fishing community and how their fishing activity may impact the stocks of regional fisheries. This study characterizes the community of shore-based, non-commercial fishers on the island of St. Croix, USVI in terms of their fishing patterns over space and time and to the extent possible, their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The results and lessons learned from this study can inform future survey efforts of non-commercial fishers in the USVI.
The study addressed four goals through the different components. The Interview Component gathered data to address two goals: 1) to calculate and describe fishing catch and effort and 2) to profile shore-based noncommercial fishers in terms of demographic characteristics, fishing patterns and subsistence fishing activity. Count Components 1 and 2 gathered information on spatiotemporal patterns and participation in fishing and other shore-based recreational activities. Finally, the three components together served to accomplish an overarching goal: to field test use of a roving study design for collecting information on non-commercial fishing in the USVI via site counts and interviews.
Fishing participation estimates documented in this study indicate that shore-based, non-commercial fishing on St. Croix is not a high participation activity. The number of fishers using the shoreline at any given time is relatively low compared with other types of shore-based recreational activities. This possibility should be further tested using site-specific collections. There may be other types of data collections that will yield more useful information for understanding non-commercial fishing in the USVI. For example, researchers may direct limited research funds to on-site surveys of boat-based, non-commercial fishing or charter fishing, or opt to invest in household surveys. To better characterize and profile this fishing subgroup, a priority investment of limited research funds would be to conduct a household survey with a sample size adequate to parse out the shore-based fishers from other fisher subgroups. Such a survey would be invaluable at providing a current, valid and reliable estimate of the population of shore-based non-commercial fishers, as well as gathering other information on shore-based, non-commercial fisher characteristics and behaviors.
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