Abstract

Vessel owners who fish recreationally for regulated tunas, sharks, swordfish, and billfish in U.S. federal waters of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico must obtain a Highly Migratory Species (HMS) permit. Vessel owners who fish commercially for regulated tunas in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico must obtain an Atlantic Tunas permit. This paper explores statistical and demographic trends over the past seven years in U.S. vessels permitted to fish for large pelagics in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Data from permitted vessels with principle ports in the following states/territories were included in this study: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Historical permit databases were analyzed for the three largest permit categories for large pelagic species: HMS Angling category, HMS Charter / Headboat category, and Atlantic Tunas General category. Trends in the number of permits sold by category, principle port state/territory, and city were investigated. This study also assessed the prevalence of permit category switching over time and evaluated turnover among Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico large pelagics fishing vessels based on persistence in permit databases. Vessel length was also analyzed by permit category and principal port state. Implications of these findings for the management of large pelagic fishes in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico are discussed

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