Integrating Anthropogenic and Climatic Factors in the Assessment of the Caribbean Spiny Lobster (<i>Panulirus argus</i>) in Cuba: Implications for Fishery Management

Abstract

The Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus , the most valuable Cuban fishery resource, is managed with a set of input and biological controls. The aim of this article was to integrate two indices related water and nutrients supply and tropical cyclones activity in the stock assessment, through internal estimation of the parameters of a spawning stock recruitment function in a statistical catch-at-age analysis. The population dynamics model allowed estimating key Reference Points for management at fixed levels of fishing mortality rate and environmental conditions. The results indicate that the reduction of recruitment and catches in the Cuban spiny lobster fishery could be a result of synergistic cumulative effects because of the anthropogenic reduction of nutrients supplies and the increase of the potential destructiveness of tropical cyclones since 1994, mainly from 2001 on. Although the degradation of the coastal habitat quality in Cuba is apparent and perhaps unavoidable, the assessment of the impact allows implementing management actions for the spiny lobster fishery sustainability. The implementation of annual TAC depending on the stock status, have maintained the fishery around the more conservative Reference Points F 40% and F 0.1 during the current unfavorable environment period.