The spiny lobster fishery in the WECAFC region - an approach to responsible fisheries management

Abstract

The Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus is widely distributed in the western central Atlantic and supports important fisheries in many of the countries within this area. Total reported landings have been between 27000 and 30000 tonnes per annum over the last decade. However, recent assessments undertaken under the auspices of the Western Central Atlantic Fisheries Commission (WECAFC) have indicated that the resource is being fully or over-exploited over much of its range. The results also revealed widespread deficiencies in the data available, which create problems in undertaking reliable assessments and in the subsequent provision of management advice. The studies, undertaken with full regional participation, suggested that in most countries the need is urgent to control and frequently to reduce fishing effort for the species and that in some countries both spawner biomass and potential yield would benefit from increases in the minimum size of the lobsters caught. This paper describes the fisheries for Caribbean spiny lobster, including their socio-economic importance in the region. It provides an over-view of the results of the 1997 and 1998 WECAFC workshops on the species and of the implications of those results for management for sustainable use. Finally, the need for regional, or, at least, subregional, management of the fisheries is discussed, with reference to the conclusions of the WECAFC 2000 workshop.