Abstract

The CARICOM Fisheries Resource Assessment and Management Program (CFRAMP) undertook a mission to assess the lobster and conch fisheries in the CARICOM region in March/April 1995. The second author (CFRAMP biologist) visited all eleven of the participating countries except Guyana. These counties were: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vicent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. The first author accompanied the biologist to five of these countries. The purpose of the mission was to evaluate the current status of these two fisheries in each country and to identify data gaps and information needs for the assessment process in each fishery. An assessment strategy was developed which was comprised of the following elements: 1) the acquisition and analysis of fishery statistical data 2) the acquisition and analysis of biological data 3) the analysis of existing biological data sets from previous assessment work 4) the establishment of spiny lobster post-larval monitoring programs in selected countries and the use of lobster “condominiums” to monitor juvenile spiny lobsters 5) resource abundance surveys for conch A concise overview of the fisheries for spiny lobster and conch in each country is provided as well as an assessment of the relative importance of these fisheries and a summary of the most recent landings figures by country

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