Trap fishing in the U.S. Virgin Islands: How and where effort is exerted

Trap fishing for fishes and lobsters is common in waters of the U. S. Virgin Islands and may affect coral ecosystem structure and function. We examined data on overall fishing patterns from trip reports by 103 fishermen during July 2000 - June 2001. Trip reports indicated fishermen preferred southwestern and northeastern St. Croix and southwestern and northwestern St. Thomas. Fishermen landed over 34,900 kg of spiny lobster and 193,000 kg of fish (primarily parrotfishes and triggerfishes) during the 12 month period. We subsequently interviewed 30 fishermen during November - December 2001 to obtain more detail on fishing gear, methods, and habitat types fished. Ten trap fishermen from St. Croix and 20 from St. Thomas (who also fished St. John) were surveyed. These fishermen operated 5,172 (60.8%) of the estimated 8,500 traps fished in the USVI. St. Croix fishermen concentrated off the south coast in relatively shallow waters (mean 17.7 m, maximum 30.5 m), while St. Thomas / St. John fishermen concentrated effort off southern St. Thomas in moderate to deep waters (mean 47.5 m, maximum 183 m). Fishermen moved traps regularly and seasonally, but unfortunately our survey did not capture the magnitude of distances moved. Trap construction was uniform in St. Thomas / St. John, whereas traps varied in size and were somewhat smaller in St. Croix. Individually buoyed traps were used off St. Croix, whereas trap lines (mean 13 traps per line, range 4-25 traps per line) were used off St. Thomas / St. John. Trap lines used buoyant rope that enabled offbottom grappling. Fishing times were shorter off St. Croix than off St. Thomas / St. John (means 3.2 days vs. 7.2 days, respectively). Traps were most often deployed in vegetation (seagrass or algae), sand, or rubble habitats, but six fishermen targeted corals. These data are important for assessment of potential for trap damage to coral reef habitats.

FY2003 CRCP Project ID 1069; Project Title: Distribution of Trap Fishing and Effects on Habitats in Coral Reef Ecosystems; Principal Investigator: Ron Hill

http://www.gcfi.org/proceedings/sites/default/files/procs/gcfi_57-14.pdf