Table 4: Federal fishery management plans and amendments

within the territorial sea, which extends from the shoreline out to three nautical miles, whereas the federal government jurisdiction extends from three nautical miles to two hundred nautical miles.3

The U.S.V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), which houses the Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) and Division of Environmental Enforcement (DEE), is responsible for the management of territorial marine resources. DFW provides management advice to the DPNR Commissioner. It conducts scientific research and implements conservation awareness programs. The DEE is responsible for enforcing fishing and environmental regulations. On August 24, 2001, the DPNR implemented a moratorium on the issuance of new commercial fishing permits. In addition to the moratorium, daily quotas for conch, area and seasonal closures, minimum size and mesh size regulations are the main management tools used in the territory.

The Caribbean Fisheries Management Council (CMFC) manages marine resources in the EEZ of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico (NMFS, 2007b). The Secretary of Commerce is responsible for approving and implementing fishery management plans (FMPs) developed by the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Table 4). The U.S. Caribbean FMPs rely mainly on area and seasonal closures, minimum size and mesh size regulations for managing species occurring in these waters. Federal regulations also prohibit the harvesting of Nassau grouper, goliath grouper, queen conch, and corals in the EEZ. NMFS enforcement agents and the U.S. Coast Guard are responsible for enforcing federal fisheries laws and regulations.

Table 4: Federal fishery management plans and amendments

Managing Body Fishery Management Plans (FMP) Caribbean Fishery Management Council Spiny Lobster Corals and Reef-Associated Plants and Invertebrates

Queen Conch Shallow Water Reef Fish

NMFS Headquarters* Consolidated Highly Migratory Species (HMS) * Note: The Consolidated HMS FMP includes several species such as Atlantic tunas, swordfish, and sharks over their entire geographical range, not only the U.S. Virgin Islands.

3 The exception to this rule is an area of 5,650 acres of submerged lands off the coast of St. John, which fall under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service (CFMC, 2005).

3.3.2. Recreational and Sport Fishing

Recreational fishing provides a valuable leisure activity for thousands of people in the U.S. Virgin Islands (Jennings, 1992; Mateo, 1999; Mateo, 2000; Messineo and Uwate, 2004; Griffith et al., 1988). It is estimated that recreational fishing activities alone contribute about $25 million annually to the local economy (Hinkey et al., 1994). Recreational and sport fishers are generally not required to obtain licenses, often making it difficult to accurately account for these and other associated activities within the fishery. Previous attempts at estimating the number of recreational fishermen have generally relied on telephone surveys. A survey conducted by Mateo in 1999 reported that approximately 11% of the U.S.V.I. population was involved in recreational fishing, which provides similar statistics to the earlier survey conducted by Jennings in 1992 (Mateo, 2000).

Recreational and sport fishermen target nearly 80 fish species, 65 of which have commercial value (U.S.V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources, 2005). While commercial fishermen have generally targeted reef fish and coastal pelagics exclusively, recreational fishers tend to target not only these species but also offshore pelagic game fish, including dolphin-fish, tuna, kingfish, marlin, and other billfish (Olsen and Wood, 1984; Eastern Caribbean Center, 2002). Landings from sport and recreational fishing are a source of food for the local anglers, but some of the fish caught enter into the local market as well. Recreational activities can be divided into various categories, typically that of inshore and offshore recreational fisheries. The offshore recreational category includes both fishing charters and tournaments. Inshore recreational fishing can be either shore-based or boat based.

Inshore Recreational Fishing Shore fishing has been shown to be practiced by “thousands of U.S.V.I. residents annually” mostly close to the “urban” areas of both St. Thomas and St. Croix (DFW, 2005). It is a year-round activity practiced by all age groups and social strata making it very important in the daily lives and activities of U.S. Virgin Islanders as well as its many visitors (Griffith et al., 1988; Hinckley et al., 1994). Shore fishing is probably the hardest recreational group to account for since so many different groups practice it, often at irregular time intervals. Nevertheless, this group is most likely the largest recreational fishing group in the islands in terms of participation.

Boat-based recreational fishing is important in terms of expenditures and time spent on this activity (Table 5). According to the Eastern Caribbean Center (2002), a research center of the University of the Virgin Islands, there are about 2,462 registered boat owners in the U.S.V.I., of which 566 are based in St.