Abstract

Fisheries scientists and managers in the Gulf and Caribbean region still do not reach out to fisherfolk enough to get them fully involved in fisheries science and management. Some recent attempts at outreach have been good and well-intentioned, but they have not been sufficient. Fishermen are usually excluded from knowing what fisheries scientists and managers are working on unless their assistance is required in some way. Yet, fishermen have a wealth of knowledge on fish, fishing and the marine environment. Often they are only too willing to freely share their knowledge with others in ways that scientists and managers seem reluctant to do. Observations made at sea by small-scale fishermen are detailed and accurate. I am a fisherman with information to share. The 2006-2007 fishing season in the eastern Caribbean was a peculiar one in many ways. It begs for those with formal training in fisheries science to reach out and explain to fishermen the reasons for what took place and to link their conclusions to what is proposed for fisheries management and research that is relevant to the profession of fishing. In this paper I describe some observations and share thoughts on how fishermen’s knowledge can be incorporated into fisheries science and management, as well as more fisheries science be incorporated into fishing.

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