Abstract

Commercial fishing in the Florida Keys, an archipelago located off the southern end of the Florida peninsula, is an economically and culturally important activity, comprised of a variety of subtropical and tropical finfish and invertebrate fisheries. The fishery sector developed as an export economy, initially to the island of Cuba to the south, and since the early 20th century, to the mainland US. Over the past few decades, fishery product imports (hereafter ‘imports’) have increased considerably in the US, transported mainly as air cargo, leading to steady supplies of high quality imports. Imports that affect the Florida Keys fisheries consist of substitutes (e.g., cultured shrimp from southeast Asia and South America) and species landed in the Florida Keys (e.g., spiny lobster, reef finfish). This study evaluates the overall effect of these imports on the performance and sustainability of Florida Keys fisheries, as measured in terms of price, landings, and participation, over the past 35 years. The study also identifies the fisheries in which imports have been most successfully able to compete, i.e., whether local branding or endemic species/stocks have been able to surmount the challenge of imports. Finally, the study considers the role of the US management and regulatory framework in affecting ex-vessel values and the framework effects on US commercial fishery competitiveness.

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