Abstract

Although generally recognised as important to coastal communities for food and income, few detailed data exist on small-scale fisheries in the Caribbean (Salas et al. 2007). This is particularly true for the multi-species, multi-gear, reef-associated fisheries, where data are often unavailable or recorded landings are aggregated with non-reef species. Neverthe-less, information on reef fisheries is necessary for management, where the level of exploitation and economic gains should be determined in order to implement effective policy at the appropriate scale. This study investigated the economic value of reef-associated fishing in three types of communities (i.e. dominated by reef fishing, tourism or mixed fishing/tourism) within three disparate countries (St. Kitts and Nevis, Honduras, Barbados) across the Wider Caribbean. The intention was to examine the diversity of reef fishing values across the region and explore some of the drivers of reef exploitation at each site. This study is an integral part of the social science component of the Future of Reefs project (FORCE), a four year, interdisciplinary study focused on the expected future of Caribbean coral reefs and their management. Socioeconomic and fisheries data were collected from 217 commercial reef fishers in St. Kitts and Nevis, the Bay Islands of Honduras and Barbados from March 2011 to March 2012. This included data on fishing costs and revenues, fishing effort, yields, space-use patterns, market orientation and alternative livelihoods. Detailed information on data collection and treatment can be found in Gill (2014).

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