Abstract

Commercial fisheries in Puerto Rico are dominated by small-scale fishing operations that deploy a variety of gear types in multiple, tropical fisheries across the island„s diverse oceanic and benthic habitats. While past fishery censuses and targeted studies have evaluated the demographic, economic, and social characteristics of these fisheries, less effort has focused on the spatial dimensions of the fisheries, namely the port fishing ground linkages and the regional distribution of fishery effort. This project conducted over 350 in-person interviews with commercial fishers across coastal municipalities in Puerto Rico, and it collected data on spatial use profiles by species, gear, and effort. The project, completed over five months in 2009, evaluated how fishers in different regions distribute their effort by gear and species, as well as how socio-demographic and economic characteristics are linked to areas fished. The project„s spatial findings are expected to provide important insights on the geographic organization of landings and effort and to assist in the identification of key fishing area port linkages.

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