The role of drifting objects in pelagic fisheries in the Southeastern Caribbean

Abstract

Reliable information relevant to fisheries has been acquired directly from fishers in many parts of the world. In this study, we attempt to determine whether such information can be valuable in investigating the role of drifting objects in fisheries for pelagic species in the southeastern Caribbean by conducting a questionnaire survey of two hundred and fifty-three fishers from St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent and Tobago. The results indicate that drifting objects do attract fish and therefore play an important role in pelagic fisheries in the southeastern Caribbean. The role is seasonal, being greatest between January and March in all countries, but having a more extended seasonal duration in Grenada and Tobago. Drifting objects are prevalent in water which is green or brown in colour, rather than blue, and fish associate with both natural and anthropogenic drifting objects, with no apparent preference within or between these groups. Fishers actively seek and fish around drifting objects. Fishers from St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada and Tobago deliberately deploy drifting objects constructed of naturally-occurring materials when targeting flyingfish. However, very few fishers deploy drifting objects to target large pelagics. In this study, the fisheries and biological–oceanographic information obtained from fishers was largely consistent with information reported in the literature, indicating that information obtained in this manner can be of considerable value to fisheries management in the region.