Abstract

A census of the fishing activity was conducted in Parque Nacional del Este, República Dominicana, from January to March 2000 as part of the monitoring activities executed in the area by MAMMA Foundation, with the support of the Nature Conservancy. The census was undertaken through direct interviews and analysis of landings. The fishers interviewed come from Saona, La Romana, Higuey & Bayahibe. They fish from small to medium-size boats powered from outboard engines or sails. Forty percent work for fish micro-enterprises, and the payment for fuel and equipment is deducted from the total catch. They fish for lobster, conch and demersal and pelagic fishes. The fishers feel that the total catch has decreased in comparison with the past years mainly due to the high number of fishers and fishing gears and the uncontrolled tourism activities in the zone. Fishers recommended to prohibit the use of hookah and trammel net, but they favored the construction of Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs), among other measures. In this document we raised the need for designing and implementing a fisheries comanagement strategy involving the direct users, representatives of the government and social and research entities that are present in the area. That strategy should take into account also, the educational, economical and social needs of the users and provide options for the sustainable management of the marine resources in the area.

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