Fisheries
Management
Puerto Rico + The Caribbean.
The existing approach to fisheries management in the US Caribbean adopts a species by species (or group-specific) methodology, often overlooking the inherent and natural relationships within multi-species fish assemblages. This narrow focus fails to account for the complex, interrelated nature of the issue, where species within fish communities are intricately linked by intrinsic and natural correlations. Therefore, alternative approaches need to be executed to promote sustainable fisheries practices, conserve marine biodiversity, preserve ecosystem services, and support the well-being of both marine ecosystems and coastal communities in the Caribbean region.
Current Projects
1
How to better understand and support community needs to advance the oyster aquaculture industry in Puerto Rico
Since before Columbus landed in Puerto Rico, oyster harvesting has been documented in the indigenous Taíno population. However, commercial production in Puerto Rico has remained small, particularly in comparison to the United States. By the early 1970s, even while the oyster population in the main harvesting location of Boquerón remained viable, Puerto Rico was importing over 90% of its oysters, and despite various efforts to cultivate oysters, a large-scale commercial oyster aquaculture industry has yet to emerge in Puerto Rico. Meanwhile, the benefits of sustainable shellfish aquaculture industries have garnered international attention, specifically through creating economic opportunities, alleviating food insecurity, and enhancing ecological functions and services, such as for restoration and improving water quality. This project aims to complement local efforts by discovering existing barriers to successfully establish an oyster aquaculture industry in Puerto Rico and make recommendations for addressing these barriers and priorities expressed by different stakeholders. We will 1) Enable conditions to advance inclusivity within the shellfish aquaculture industry by highlighting the priorities of individuals and groups from underserved and underrepresented fishing communities. From the data gathered, a better understanding of the barriers present in Puerto Rico will be obtained, allowing for a targeted approach with future endeavors and/or investments to maximize the successful development of this industry and; 2) Directly address stakeholder development and education by increasing opportunities for community involvement in shellfish aquaculture. The project will run from 2025 to 2026, in collaboration with PR Sea Grant and NOAA NMFS and is funded by PEW and TNC.
Past Projects
1
Understanding the ecology and social perceptions of commercially important fisheries for the development of long-term education and enforcement strategies to support sustainable fisheries in Bahamas and the Dominican Republic
Pass on Parrotfish: A community-based conservation campaign
This campaign integrated topics of parrotfish conservation into local cultural and educational activities. In addition, it studied the ecology and social perceptions of commercially important fisheries for the development of long-term education and enforcement strategies to support sustainable fisheries in Bahamas and the Dominican Republic. ISER Caribe has implemented this project across all the countries that we operate in and continues to educate local communities about the importance of keeping parrotfish on the reef. Funding was from NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program International Coral Reef Conservation and the Ford Foundation.
2
Building a Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the U.S. Caribbean Region as a Guide for Implementing Ecosystem-based Fishery Management
ISER Caribe is subcontracted by the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez to lead and coordinate workshops in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands to understand the perspective of different stakeholders, such as fishers, managers, experts, on the U.S. Caribbean fisheries ecosystem. These workshops center around exploring the environmental, biological, and socio-economic perspectives of various stakeholders. The insights gathered in these sessions will be leveraged to construct both conceptual and quantitative models. Moreover, the data derived from these conceptual models will play a vital role in shaping the Fisheries Ecosystem Plan currently under development by the Caribbean Fisheries Management Council. This project is funded by Lenfest and ISER Caribe is sub awarded by the University of Puerto Rico, UPRM.