Managing Recreational Fishing

Dr Tammy Trott, working for the Department of Environmental Protection here in Bermuda, came to talk with the club at one of our monthly meetings. The topic was Managing Recreational Fishing. Below are details of her presentation.

Introduction

Recreational fishing is a major component of fishing effort globally.
Statistics from other countries show that:
- Recreational fishing is increasing
- 33% of food fish landed are caught by recreational fishers
- For some species in some areas, recreational landings are greater than commercial landings
- Roughly 33% of those that live near the coast fish.
- Approximately 60% of recreational fishing is done from shore.
Recreational fisheries show a skewed distribution of effort.
- Most people fish a little
- A few people fish a lot

Local Background

There is little information on recreational fishing in Bermuda today.
- Presumed to be different from 20 years ago, when the regulations were created.
- Changed lifestyles alter the importance of fishing for fun/food.
- Composition of the local population has changed dramatically.
- Preliminary information indicates that 30% of households have at least one person that fishes. This extrapolates to 16,000 fishers 70% of these fish from shore.
Bermuda's responsibilities under ICCAT require reporting of all harvest of Highly Migratory Species such as tunas and wahoo.
The 2005 White Paper committed to a licensing system for recreational fishing BUT this has not been implemented yet.

Goals and Actions

Goals:

To acquire data on recreational fishing to facilitate better management.
To revise the fisheries regulations as necessary to conserve local fish stocks and reduce conflict between the various sectors.
To establish ongoing reporting of harvest by the non-commercial sectors to assist management and fulfill international reporting obligations.

A detailed evaluation of all recreational fishing activities is required to facilitate proper management and reduce conflict with the commercial fishery.
A comprehensive survey of all non-commercial fishing and collecting activities will be conducted.
The survey is expected to highlight discrepancies between the Fisheries Regulations and current fishing practices. Regulations will be revised accordingly.
A program for the ongoing reporting of catchfrom the non-commercial sectors will be established.

Recreational Fishing Survey

The Marine Resources Section plans to carry out a comprehensive recreational fishing survey in 2011.
- Mail survey
  - General and also targeted toward boat owners
- Telephone survey
- Street survey
- Exit survey for visiting yachts and crews of cargo / cruise ships
- Roving creel survey on shore and on the water
The survey will ask about:
- Fishing habits (how often, where, when)
- Fish species targeted
- Catch levels and catch rates
- Attitudes/Suggestions regarding regulations and licensing

Possibility of New Regulations

The results of the survey are expected to highlight discrepancies between existing regulations and current fishing practices.
The Regulations associated with the Fisheries Act may therefore require revision.
- More bag limits may be needed to curtail effort at the upper end of the spectrum.
- Species not traditionally targeted may now benefit from minimum size restrictions.

Ongoing Monitoring

The survey will provide initial baseline data, BUT ongoing monitoring of the recreational fishery will be needed.
Monitoring will probably be accomplished through a combination of licensing, gear registration, voluntary logbooks and periodic surveys.
Waterproof logbooks are now available to record recreational fishing activity and catches on a voluntary basis.
A licencewill be required for spearfishingfrom September 1st, 2011, to help monitor target species and reduce violations.
- Based on the recommendations in the 2005 White Paper
- Licensing system will be similar to that for lobster divers
Cast nets will need to be registered soon.
Offshore fishing will likely be licensed, with compulsory reporting, in order to facilitate better reporting to ICCAT
Any further licensing would be developed based on input from stakeholders to make sure it is practical.
Fees will be nominal, to cover processing costs.

Other Activities

Measuring at fishing tournaments
Signs detailing Fisheries Regulations to be placed on docks and at shoreline fishing locations
Lectures
Other outreach activities

Conclusions

There are significant gaps in our knowledge of recreational fishing in Bermuda.
More information is required in order to improve local management and facilitate international reporting obligations.
A comprehensive recreational fishing survey in 2011 is the first step.
HOWEVER, ongoing monitoring will be required.
Monitoring will likely be achieved through a combination of licensing, voluntary logbooks and periodic surveys.
The Marine Resources Section is asking for the support of the public, particularly the recreational fishing sectors, in order to facilitate this.
Bermuda's marine resources belong to us all, and the sustainable management of the marine environment is everyone's responsibility.

A PDF version of the above information can be downloaded here.