Search

Deepwater fisheries in the Caribbean Sea are poorly studied and mostly unmanaged, despite their importance to local economies and food security. In the MesoAmerican region, deepwater fisheries are nearshore and easily accessible in many locations by small vessels, but historical and contemporary fishing effort varies by country. We used standardized fishery-independent methods, including vertical longlines and baited remote underwater video (BRUV) to assess the relative abundance and distribution of deepwater (100–550 m) snappers and groupers in Belize and Honduras. Fishery-dependent samples were used to supplement spatial distribution and body length data. Gathered data revealed that Belize, with a smaller fishing population and shorter history of deepwater fishing, had overall higher abundance of groupers and snappers and that fish were significantly larger than those in Honduras, which has a well-established and larger deepwater fishery. Water temperature was found to influence the abundance and occurrence of deepwater snappers more than depth. Deepwater snappers were widely-distributed throughout available habitat in both countries, but groupers were more patchy, and rarely encountered in the more heavily fished areas off Honduras. Our results suggest that a precautionary approach to fisheries management and targeted biological research of these stocks is required, which is particularly relevant for Belize, where climate change and overfishing mitigation measures are focused on an expansion of the deepwater fishery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deepwater fisheries in the Caribbean waters of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras are currently unmanaged, and there is very little monitoring of fishery landings. Increasing demand for high quality fish has led to the continued expansion of coastal fisheries into deeper waters in the region over several decades. The deepwater fisheries of the MesoAmerican Region are mostly small-scale, but they target species that are likely vulnerable to overexploitation due to conservative life history characteristics common to deepwater fish, including slow growth, late maturity, and low natural mortality. A total of 122 deepwater fishers from Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras were interviewed to assess their perceptions on the status and future of deepwater fisheries, its history, current trends and prices. Deepwater fisheries in the region were mostly likely established in the 1970's, though outside of Belize fishers reported a longer perceived timeline. Fishers in Mexico, Belize, and Honduras mostly targeted snapper species, including silk (Lutjanus vivanus), blackfin (L. buccanella), wenchman/cardinal snapper (Pristipomoides spp.), queen (Etelis oculatus), vermillion (Rhomboplites aurorubens), and black (Apsilus dentatus) snappers while those in Guatemala targeted mainly sharks (mostly smoothhounds (Mustelus spp.), gulpers (Centrophorus spp.), sixgills (Hexanchus spp.), night sharks (Carcharhinus signatus), and dogfishes (Squalus spp.)) and groupers (mostly yellowedge (Hyporthodus flavolimbatus) and misty groupers (H. mystacinus)). Fishers largely sold directly to consumers, whether individuals, restaurants, or fish markets, and Honduras is currently the only country with a strong export market for deepwater fishes. As coastal fisheries continue to decline, and access to depth sounders and GPS becomes ubiquitous, fishing effort in these fisheries is expected to continue to increase. [Display omitted] • Nearshore deepwater fisheries in MesoAmerica are increasing as coastal fisheries decline. • The fishery is mostly small-scale, semi-industrial deepwater fishing vessels operate in Honduras. • Deepwater fisheries are an important economic alternative to lobster and conch in the region. • The fishery is relatively undeveloped in Belize, but undergoing rapid expansion. • In Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras the deepwater fisheries are well-established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]