Abstract

The 1998 Fisheries (Management) Regulations of Barbados require that all fish traps be fitted with an escape panel and carry an identification marker. The first part of the study tests various biodegradable escape panel fasteners to find one that will open in no less than three weeks and no more than five weeks. Fasteners were made of materials which were low cost and readily available, and included: cane lily, coconut bank, caulking, no. 6 cotton, cane trash, paper ribbon, and hemp twine. The second part of this study compares the catch rates of conventional fish traps with identical traps fitted with escape panels and identification markers (regulation traps). This was done using three commercial trap fishers over a 5-month period (Janwuy - May 1999), each fishing a different reef habitat using an equal number of conventional traps and regulation traps fished side-by-side. All trap hauls were recorded by number, size and species of fish taken. Hemp twine was found to be the most suitable fastener for the escape panel. Catch rates and taxonomic composition of catches were generally unaffected by the regulation specifications, suggesting that they will be readily accepted by fishers as a tool lo reduce ghost fishing by lost traps.

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