Abstract

Fishers, who fish on the Formigas Bank, approached the Fisheries Division, regarding the status of the fishable resource on the Bank. Their main concern was the reduction in catch, and suggested that as a management strategy the Division should close the Bank for at least one year. The Division with assistance from CARICOM Fisheries Resource Assessment and Management program embarked on a data collection programme to gather information on species composition, abundance and catch rates by gear type. The results were compared with data from Alice Shoal. Morant Bank and Discovery Bay. There were significant difference in the catch rates and species composition and abundance by gear type. Although, the overall catch rate by year type is lower that other areas, complete closure of the area might not be necessary.

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