Volume 54

Introducing the 1998 Marine Fisheries Census of Jamaica


Authors
Grant, S.; Brown, M.; Edmondson, D.; Mahon, R.
Download PDF Open PDF in Browser

Other Information


Date: November, 2001


Pages: 84-97


Event: Proceedings of the Fifty Fourth Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute


City: Providenciales Turks & Caicos Islands


Country: Turks and Caicos Islands

Abstract

In 1998 the Government of Jamaica undertook a census of fishing units in the marine fisheries, including vessels and fishers that fish without vessels. A two-stage process was used: a listing survey that encompassed all coastal areas; and a questionnaire census of alllisted units. The questionnaire comprised to sections seeking information on the following subject areas: Respondent; Fisher or boat owner; Captain and crew; Fishing operations; Fishing practices; Gear used; Details of the catch; Marketing of the catch; and with regard to Pedro Bank, the damage caused by Hurricane Mitch. Information was collected from a total of 5,492 units, of which 4,107 were boats, and 1,385 were fishers without boats, including spear fishers. An unexpectedly high proportion of surveyed vessels were reported as being inactive (18%). The fishing units were distributed among 200 sites ranging in size from 1 - 300 boatslsite. The median number of boats per site was 15. The vessels were predominantly canoes fishing small-scale gear: traps, lines, and nets. These data will form the basis of future development and management plans. They can support a variety of analyses many of which cannot easily be foreseen at presento Therefore, rather than attempt a complete analysis that will be published in a report, they are being set up in anaccessible formatin SPSS with instructions forusers who wish to query the data for various purposes. This report includes basic analyses to illustrate the contents of the database.

PDF Preview