Abstract

Climate variability rather than the effects of fishing intensity rule catch trends in the long-term. This is particularly true in case of neritic stocks with short lives like sardines. In species with longer life span, is easier to detect the effects of fishing intensity, because their dependence on climate variability is less evident. In most cases, stock assessment usually is limited to the biological aspect, whilst the economic and social components are often neglected. Under this framework, the Caribbean fisheries are involved in a fuzzy cloud of socio-economic crisis leading to regulations based on good intentions rather than informed management decisions. In just a few cases, stock assessments have been applied to the most important fisheries like queen conch and spiny lobster. However, more than 60 species are exploited in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, with a biomass of 5.3 Million mt and an estimated Maximum Sustainable Yield of 2.65 Million mt; unfortunately, current yield and stock biomass suggest a 30% reduction respecting to values recorded a few years ago. A review of the status of some fisheries of the region, allows providing information for their management. Recommendations provided are addressed to improve stock assessments leading to attain sustainable exploitation.

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