U.S. Virgin Islands Commercial Fishery Data Collection Programs Division of Fish and Wildlife, USVI Dept. of Planning and Natural Resources Marine Resource Education Program Meeting, May 23-25, 2017
Overview Types of data collection techniques Importance of data Improvements to data collection programs Summary of landings data Other updates
Data Collection Programs The USVI Division of Fish and Wildlife collects commercial fisheries-dependent data using 2 techniques: 1. Data reported by commercial fishers Commercial Catch Reports (CCRs) Required for every fishing trip Revised in June 2016 2. Data recorded by Division of Fish and Wildlife staff Official port sampling of commercial landings Participation required for all fishers who are actively fishing
Importance of Data Data collected using both Commercial Catch Reports and port sampling is reviewed by DFW staff and entered into the corresponding online NOAA database. Data is sent to NOAA s SEFSC where it is used in analyses such as stock assessments and is used to monitor progress towards Annual Catch Limits that we learned about yesterday.
Importance of Data Accurate reporting is essential so fisheries scientists and managers can get a clear look at what is going on with USVI fisheries. Over-reporting or under-reporting data are both problematic. It is in everyone s best interest to report your landings and effort accurately. DFW s sampling strategies are designed to maximize accuracy and completeness of fisheries data.
Commercial Catch Report Revisions 2 different forms for St. Thomas/St. John and St. Croix DFW worked with NOAA SEFSC to revise forms in June 2016 Changes were based on feedback from fishers and observations made by DFW staff Changes were made in order to improve detail and completeness of reporting Forms reviewed annually and updated if needed
Biological Grid Maps Biological grid maps for each district are printed on the back side of CCR forms Fishers record where they fished for each trip
Reporting Improvements Drop boxes installed for submission of catch reports 2 locations on St. Thomas (Frenchtown Fish House, Dept. of Agriculture office) 1 location on St. Croix (Division of Environmental Enforcement office) New boxes will be installed at other locations on all three islands. Please tell us where you want a dropbox installed!
Reporting Improvements Quarterly letters mailed out to all fishers reminding them to submit CCRs and informing them of missing months Reporting compliance has increased significantly due to these efforts Keep up the good work!
Landings data from 2012 - Present YEAR 2012 STT/STJ 394,539 STX 481,109 Total 875,648 2013 336,487 456,955 793,442 2014 402,802 375,552 778,354 2015 390,054 349,591 739,645 2016 427,399 345,157 772,555 2017* 119,651* 122,924* 242,575* Totals 2,070,932 2,131,287 4,202,219
Catch Report Totals # Catch Reports Entered 2012-2016 31,350 # Catch Reports Entered 2016 5,972 # Catch Reports Entered 2017 to date 1,641
Gear Types
Top 5 Species Landed (2016) St. Thomas/St. John Species Landings (lbs) Lobster 92,996 Triggerfish Grouper Snapper Jacks 40,387 33,531 33,274 18,993 St. Croix Species Parrotfish Dolphin Snapper Conch Lobster Landings (lbs) 45,615 30,945 22,907 22,905 20,243
Port Sampling Photos from R. Gomez and G. Greaux
Port Sampling Trip Interview Program developed by NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center Collects detailed data to supplement information reported by fishers on Commercial Catch Reports Conducted on-site at ports and fish houses Conducted on a random basis as well as voluntary basis Fishers are required to participate in this official sampling program as a condition to maintaining and renewing fishing licenses
Data Collected During Port Sampling Catch composition by species Size-frequency data (lengths and weights of individual fish) Measures complete catch Effort data: active fishing time, landing site, vessel information Gear type Area fished and depth
Port Sampling Data Flow Process Data are collected during port sampling by DFW staff Data are reviewed, validated, and summarized by staff member Data are entered into online Trip Interview Program (TIPS) database Data are made available to SEFSC and DFW for analyses
Port Sampling: Random Technique Eliminates possibility of bias Once per week, 8 am 5 pm 1-3 ports visited each day Ports with > 1% of landings selected for random sampling 10 ports in St. Thomas 5 ports in St. Croix
Port Sampling: Voluntary Technique Allows for sampling of fishers who return before 8 am, after 5 pm, and on weekends Allows for sampling of ports that only a few fishers use Collects data from sectors of the fisheries that are missed during random sampling
Port Sampling Adaptive Strategy Original requirement: One voluntary port sample per quarter required for each commercial fisher, total 4 per fishing year However, this was inconvenient for fishers who were regularly sampled randomly, as random samples did not count towards required totals New requirement: one random or voluntary port sample per quarter
Port Sampling Summary (2016) # of samples # of ports sampled # fishers sampled St. Thomas St. Croix 110 66 11 6 45 out of 75 (60%) 43 out of 67 (64%)
Port sample participation rates are much higher than in previous years, but still room for improvement. Please contact the Division of Fish and Wildlife if you need to complete port samples before it is time to renew your fishing license in July! St. Thomas: (340) 775-6762 St. Croix: (340) 773-1082
Other Updates Currently DFW is working on having the Commercial and Recreational Fishers Information Handbook translated into Spanish to better serve the Spanishspeaking fishing community Also working on having the CCRs translated into Spanish 2 outreach events coming up in both districts
Upcoming mandatory commercial fisher events ANNUAL COMMERCIAL FISHER MEETINGS St. Thomas/St. John: Tuesday, June 13, 2017 at 6 pm at Windward Passage Hotel St. Croix: Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 6 pm at UVI Great Hall COMMERCIAL FISHING LICENSE REGISTRATION Tuesday Thursday, July 11 13, 2017, 9 am 4 pm St. Thomas/St. John: DPNR airport conference room St. Croix: DFW office Mars Hill For more information about these two events, contact the Division of Fish & Wildlife at (340) 775 6762
Future Data Collection Needs Electronic data collection for port sampling Facilitate fishers reporting data electronically via mobile applicationproposal submitted to NOAA Ocean Technology Transition Program with PR Full-time designated port samplers to conduct more regular sampling
Thank You Division of Fish and Wildlife St. Thomas office Division of Fish and Wildlife St. Croix office 6291 Estate Nazareth St. Thomas, VI 00802 (340) 775-6762 45 Mars Hill, Frederiksted St. Croix, VI 00840 (340) 773-1082