Cayos
Miskitus, Nicaragua – In a joint effort between
WWF and Nicaragua’s URACCAN University, fishermen
here have tested and approved sustainable lobster
traps in efforts to conserve the species.
The lobster traps are slightly
modified compared with traditional ones, allowing
for smaller lobsters to escape capture and mature.
Overfishing for undersized lobster, as well as
female specimens carrying eggs, is a serious conservation
problem facing Central America’s Mesoamerican
reef.
“We are delighted with the results
of a recent test of traps that have the potential
to curtail the illegal catch of hundreds of thousands
of undersized lobsters,” said Sylvia Marin, Regional
Representative for WWF Central America.
“Good management of fisheries,
including lobsters, ensures that fishing remains
a way of life for coastal communities.”
Of all the fishing resources
in this region, spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)
is the most important income source for a large
number of coastal communities, especially as it
fetches high market prices. A Mexican fisherman,
for example, can sell a 1kg lobster tail for US$22
in the market place. The same quantity will sell
for about US$60–90 in a restaurant in the Mexican
resort town of Cancun.
The Nicaraguan fishermen who
tested the sustainable lobster traps found that
the alterations do not diminish the catch of legally-sized
lobsters.
“Fishermen appreciate the fact
that there are longer-term benefits of letting
the undersized lobsters go,” said Alicia Medina,
WWF Technical Officer for the Mesoamerican Reef.
“They recognize both the conservation and economic
value of saving them.”
Also recognizing the importance
of a sustainable lobster fishery is the Central
American Fishing Organization (OSPESCA), which
has included size restrictions for traps in its
regulations.
“Although OSPESCA’s measurements
are a bit smaller than the trap measurements we
recommend, we consider their new regulations as
an important step towards the conservation of
spiny lobster and other fish caught in traditional
traps used by local fishermen,” Medina added.
With fishermen in Nicaragua
starting to adopt sustainable lobster traps, WWF
is working to replicate the success in other Mesoamerican
reef countries, including Mexico, Belize, Guatemala
and Honduras.
The Mesoamerican Reef is the
second longest barrier reef in the world, only
surpassed by the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
It spans more than 1,000km, from the northern
end of the Yucatan Peninsula to the northern coast
of Honduras, including Belize and Guatemala. The
reef contains a large diversity of coral reefs,
in addition to other important ecosystems such
as beaches, mangroves, lagoons, and seagrasses.
This array of systems fosters the reproduction,
nesting, and feeding of a great diversity of mammal,
fish, marine turtles, and invertebrates, including
the spiny lobster.
