Abstract

This paper reports upon a project implemented by the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus. Socio-economic monitoring by Caribbean fishery authorities (Fisheries SocMon) is a project intended to increase and improve the use of site-specific socio-economic information in fisheries and coastal management decision-making by fisheries stakeholders in five locations in the region. Originally an 18-month project (October 2007 – March 2009), it benefitted from a no-cost extension to December 2009. The monitoring sites are primarily fishing towns or villages: Oistins in Barbados; Dublanc, Bioche and Colihaut in Dominica; Booby Island in Nevis; Grenville in Grenada; and Rose Place in St. Vincent. Socio-economic monitoring (SocMon) training workshops were held to build stakeholder capacity in SocMon methodology and to determine goals, objectives, monitoring variables and SocMon teams for the initiation of site monitoring. Fieldwork was undertaken using primarily observation and survey interviews. Goals for monitoring included: monitoring the impacts of present and proposed development on coastal communities (Barbados and Dominica); collection of baseline socio-economic data to inform development decision-making (St. Vincent and Nevis); and assessment of coastal resources used by fishing and other stakeholders in coastal communities (Grenada). Results of, and lessons learned from, the monitoring and the process, and recommendations for management and future monitoring are reported on.

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