Browsing by Subject "lobster fishery"

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    Should Maine Lobsters be certified as sustainable? Costs, benefits and opinions of Marine Stewardship Council certification
    (2009-04-24T04:23:16Z) Goyert, Wendy
    As worldwide population growth continues to rise, so does demand for seafood by consumers. With this trend interest in sustainably certified seafood is also increasing. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries is considered the gold standard of fisheries certification worldwide. Because of fears that they may lose markets if they do not become certified, many fisheries in the U.S. and Canada, including the Maine lobster fishery, have recently begun to pursue MSC certification. Although certification provides a market-based incentive to improve sustainable fishing practices, it is a costly and time-consuming process, and often imposes additional requirements on fishing industries in order to meet certification standards. In order to evaluate whether the costs of certification of the Maine lobster fishery are worth the presumed benefits, I interviewed lobster industry members to learn about their knowledge and attitude towards MSC certification; administered an online consumer survey to understand consumers’ attitudes and purchasing preferences related to ecolabeled lobster; and consulted with fisheries experts and representatives from other MSC-certified fisheries to compile lessons learned. The results of my three studies indicate that MSC certification of the Maine lobster fishery could provide some benefits to the industry by helping it to tap new markets in Europe, sell to retailers that have developed corporate sustainable seafood policies, and preserve its current markets with large buyers like Wal-Mart. However, my results also show that most consumers will likely be unwilling to pay a price premium for MSC certified products, especially in this economy, and therefore a price increase for MSC certified lobster should be avoided. Still, more research on the actual market benefits of ecolabeling programs needs to be conducted to determine if they really are providing benefits to fisheries while also promoting the health and sustainability of wild marine species populations and the surrounding ecosystems they depend on.
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    THE CARIBBEAN SPINY LOBSTER FISHERY IN CUBA: An approach to sustainable fishery management
    (2009-04-24T17:05:49Z) Muñoz-Nuñez, Daylin
    The Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) is the most valuable fishery resource in Cuba. Intensive fishing efforts and deterioration of essential habitats have led to overexploitation of this resource over much of its distributional range. In Cuba, the spiny lobster fishery collapsed in 1990, and since then landings have consistently declined. In response to this crisis and with the aim of obtaining the maximum economic benefits from this highly-prized resource, the Cuban Ministry of Fishery attempted to improve the management of this fishery. The purpose of this study is to identify the biophysical, human and institutional components of the spiny lobster fishery in Cuba and map their interactions to better understand the current management of this fishery and promote its long term sustainability. An exhaustive literature review and an analysis of the current management regulations show that Cuba has met some of the most important criteria that could lead to the long term sustainability of the fishery. The limited access to the fishery, allocation of exclusive territorial rights and quotas, as well as the strict enforcement of the minimum legal size and a lengthening of the closed season have led many researchers to consider the Cuban fishery as one of the best managed spiny lobster fisheries in the world. Despite these regulations, landings have not increased. This indicates that the lobster population has not recovered from the previous overexploitation. The management could be improved by providing protection to the lobsters with the highest reproductive capacity through an increase in the minimum legal size to 81 mm carapace length and establishment of a maximum legal size (142 mm CL). More complete socio-economic impact analysis is necessary to better understand the human components of the fishery. This could help illuminate the reasons for illegal lobster fishing, a common problem in the Cuban waters. Additionally, fishermen integration into the fisheries policy-making process is crucial to achieve effective management regulations. A sustainable spiny lobster fishery in Cuba is essential for the recovery of this transboundary resource both in the local waters and in the Wider Caribbean Region.