Spatiotemporal analysis of bio-economic indicators in a small-scale rights-based managed Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) fishery

The Vigia Chico Cooperative has the concession for the valuable spiny lobster fishery, which operates in Ascension Bay. The Bay covers an area of 850 km2 and includes a variety of habitats such as mangroves, corals, sponges,... [ view full abstract ]

The Vigia Chico Cooperative has the concession for the valuable spiny lobster fishery, which operates in Ascension Bay. The Bay covers an area of 850 km² and includes a variety of habitats such as mangroves, corals, sponges, seagrass and macro-algae. For fishing and management purposes, the Bay has been divided up by fishers into individual areas, locally known as “campos”. In each “campo”, fishers deploy artificial shelters, from which spiny lobsters are harvested using a small hand held net and free diving. There are 41 “campo” owners, and each owner has exclusive fishing rights within their area. These rights are supported by internal working rules of the Cooperative and are respected among the fishers. There are many incentives for this co-management approach, including high lobster catches, high prices, and the cohesive group structure of the Cooperative. Through the combination of a community-based co-management and territorial user rights approach, the Vigia Chico Cooperative has had great success in supporting resource conservation and management, and providing a stable livelihood for fishers and the Punta Allen community.

This study provides further insight into the contexts under which fishers make decisions regarding harvest strategies and is necessary for ensuring continued sustainability of the fishery, particularly in the wake of climate change. A number of bio-economic indicators were developed and assessed and it was found that the profitability of the fishery was influenced by factors such as: spatiotemporal resource abundance and distribution; fishing area location in relation to the port; and shelter density. Additionally, the study demonstrates how heterogeneous fishing strategies, fishers’ short-run decisions and local fisher knowledge help maintain stable profits under extreme weather conditions which can affect resource distribution. The results of this study have also strengthened the capacity for community ecosystem conservation by enhancing fishers’ understanding of the environmental and biological factors which affect the abundance and spatial availability of the spiny lobster resource. Finally, the study provides empirical information which can contribute to management at the local-scale of a meta-population with distribution throughout the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.