Abstract

The Fisheries Statistics Project (FSP) has been monitoring Puerto Rico’s fisheries uninterrupted since 1967. The objective of the FSP is to provide data to know the conditions of thef ishery resources found in the territorial sea of the commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the contiguous waters of the federal fishery conservation zone. When it is necessary, the scientific data will help to implement management plans to protect the fishery resources.\Groupers (Serranidae) are an important resource in Puerto Rico’s reef fishery. Several western Atlantic grouper species are known to aggregate for spawning at specific time and locations. The exploitation of these resources during spawning aggregations makes them very vulnerable. Some of these aggregations are know from Puerto Rican waters and have been heavily fished. Fishermen thus easily find many of these spawning aggregations in both time and space, resulting in heavy exploitation.\Statistical data shows that during the 1970s landings of fish and shellfish increased gradually from 4.5 millions of pounds in 1970 to 7.2 millions of pounds in 1979. Groupers represented approximately 12% of the total landings reported, and Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) was the species most landed during during that period. On the otherhand, statistical data during the 1980s shows a gradual decrease of landings. Total landings of fish and shellfish declined from 6.7 million pounds in 1980 to 2.3 millions pounds in 1989. Groupers were approximately 8% of the total landings reported during that period. The red hind (Epinephelus guttatus) was the grouper species most landed during this period. Total landings of fish and shellfish increased from 2.05 million pounds in 1990 to 3.7 million pounds in 1995. Groupers were approximately 6% of the total landings reported during that period, with the red hind as the grouper species most landed. The Nassau grouper has been scarcely reported since 1990. The tiger grouper (Mycteroperca tigris) has been heavily fished during spawning aggregation in waters adjacent to the municipality of Vieques.\The Fisheries Statistics Project continues to collect data about the grouper fishery in Puerto Rico, and landings data and length frequency analysis are discussed. The grouper fishery resources of Puerto Rico are in decline but not exhausted. Effective management plans to protect the grouper fishery of Puerto Rico should be implemented immediately.

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