The Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation report on Conch and Grouper

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: I agree that this discussion is a very important one on a general level. I recently received the following article from a concerned visitor/diver which may answer some of your questions. It is also something I will place in the dive shop for interested individuals to read. I will gladly email the article to anyone who requests it. : The article is long, but definitely worth reading to the end. : ********************************************** : GROUPER AND CONCH IN THE BAHAMAS: EXTINCTION OR MANAGEMENT? THE CHOICE IS NOW. : Grouper and conch populations will collapse if immediate action is not taken, according to new research. Current fisheries policies and fishing patterns are responsible for stocks being wiped out from established fishing grounds never to return. And in most regions grouper and conch have already been classified as endangered species. The problem is exacerbated by sport fishing and poaching. : Scientists are now seriously concerned for the future of the grouper and conch and urge that action be taken immediately as populations can only recover if management is put in place while populations are still healthy. : The overfished populations need to be protected immediately by introducing a closed season on Nassau grouper from November to February, establishing a network of permanent, no-take marine reserves, making sport-fishing for conch and grouper illegal, preventing poaching and rethinking government subsidies to commercial fisheries. : Grouper and Conch Biology in Relation to Fishing : The biology of grouper and conch (long lived, slow growth, slow to mature, increasing reproductive rate with time) makes scientists predict that their populations will be vulnerable to fishing pressure. Both grouper and conch populations have the potential to collapse if they are heavily fished; grouper because spawning aggregations do not return once they are eliminated and conch because they do not reproduce at low density, (less than 50 conch per hectare). : Grouper and Conch in the Bahamas: Evidence for Population Decline? : A review of scientific data on grouper and conch populations in the Bahamas shows that there is strong cause for concern for both species: : · Recent research (2000-2002) on Nassau grouper spawning aggregations in Long Island shows that some have already disappeared and some are disappearing very rapidly, with only a few tens of fish aggregating where there were formerly thousands or tens of thousands. In one aggregation studied in 2000-2001, every single aggregating fish was caught by trapping. This aggregation did not re-form in 2001-2002. The aggregation at High Cay is probably also an order of magnitude smaller than its historical size (hundreds of fish rather than thousands or tens of thousands. Evidence from the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park shows a clear difference in the number and size of all large grouper species between fished and non-fished areas. : · Comparisons of conch populations in the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park (where fishing has been forbidden since 1986) and the southern Exuma Cays show that conch populations in fished areas are probably at or below the Caribbean Fisheries Management Council definition of overfished. Even deep water populations in fished areas are close to the definition of overfished, (probably because most conch are taken before they can migrate into deep water). : : Grouper and Conch Fisheries around the World : Case studies of grouper, conch and similar species across the world lead to the following main conclusions: : · Their populations are vulnerable and do collapse if there is insufficient management of the fishery. Grouper populations have collapsed in most of the Caribbean, and the Nassau grouper is now classified as an endangered species in many areas. Conch populations have collapsed in parts of the Caribbean, Florida and Bermuda. : · Once populations have collapsed they do not return, at least on a time scale of years to decades. Both Nassau grouper and conch have been protected from all fishing in Florida for about two decades, but both species are still rarely seen. Conch are extremely rare in Bermuda despite protection for 24 years. : · Fishing on spawning aggregations has led to population collapse in many species throughout the world. Carefully controlled fishing on Nassau grouper spawning aggregations (e.g. locals with handlines only in the Cayman Islands) can still be enough to make aggregations disappear. Once aggregations have disappeared Nassau grouper becomes very rare or extinct. : · Since populations cannot easily recover from low levels, management is only successful if it is put in place while populations are still healthy. : · Several kinds of management have been successful in different situations, including closed seasons, networks of no-take reserves and community management systems. : Conclusions from Analysis of Bahamian Populations and Case Studies : Bahamian populations of grouper and conch show clear evidence of overfishing. The case studies show that if action is not taken to prevent overfishing, populations of both grouper and conch can easily collapse, and do not easily recover – most likely the collapses will be irreversible. Therefore, the Bahamas needs to take action quickly, otherwise grouper and conch in the Bahamas are at risk. : Priorities for Action to Protect Grouper and Conch in the Bahamas : We suggest the following as priorities for action to protect grouper and conch in the Bahamas: : · Act now: Grouper and conch are almost certainly overfished in the Bahamas; they need to be protected now, while populations can still recover. : · Spawning aggregations: Fishing on Nassau grouper spawning aggregations has got to stop, or the collapse of the Nassau grouper population of the Bahamas is inevitable. There should be a closed season on Nassau grouper from November to February inclusive. If only one piece of management action can be taken, this is the most critical. : · Reserve network: A network of permanent, no-take marine reserves is the best way to protect conch populations. It will also benefit grouper (and other species such as crawfish), and may help promote tourism in the Family Islands. : : · Tax subsidies: Government subsidies to commercial fisheries through tax free import of materials: i) encourages more people to enter overexploited fisheries, and ii) reduces funds available for management. : · Sportsfishing: Sportsfishing for conch and grouper must be made illegal (it is illegal for tourists to take conch in the Turks and Caicos). : · Poaching: Presently poachers perceive the Bahamas as a soft target. Firm action must be taken to make poaching prohibitively costly. Bahamian fishermen are more likely to support new regulations for stock preservation if they know that poachers or sports fishermen are not going to be the main beneficiaries. Fishermen could play a key role in the regulation of sports fishing and the elimination of poaching. : For the full report see ‘Nassau Grouper and Queen Conch in the Bahamas. Status and Management Options’ on www.macalister-elliott.com or contact BREEF at breef@coralwave.com

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