269
8 Fishery and Biological Implications of Fishing Spawning Aggregations…
8.5.3 Economic Benefi ts from Recreational
Use of Spawning Aggregations
In some places there may be considerable economic benefi t in protecting aggregations entirely from commercial exploitation, substituting sport diving for extractive
use, or introducing catch and release recreational fi sheries. For example, the value
of an aggregation of grouper in Belize was estimated at 20 times that of the extracted
fi sh (per annum) if protected and used solely for diving tourism (Sala et al. 2001 ) .
This calculation focused only on the recreational diver benefi t without factoring in
the (additional) long-term benefi t/value to the non-aggregation fi shery of allowing
fi sh to spawn. The extent to which displaced fi shers might directly benefi t in such
cases is not clear, but work in Belize has successfully retrained displaced fi shers as
tour guides (Janet Gibson personal communication 2010). In Komodo National
Park, Indonesia, the estimated value to the fi shery of protecting aggregations within
the park, allowing fi sh to fulfi l their reproductive function and for their diving recreational value was signifi cant (Ruitenbeek 2001 ) . In the western Atlantic Turks and
Caicos Islands, the Nassau grouper is a high-profi le species in the dive tourism
industry and divers are evidently willing to pay more for dive packages on which
they observe more and/or larger fi sh (Rudd and Tupper 2002 ) . Lack of effective
management of such fi sheries may thus impose signifi cant economic externalities
on the dive tourism industry (Rudd and Tupper 2002 ) . Recreational fi sheries on
aggregations can be economically valuable and are covered in Sect. 8.2.2 .
8.6 Perceptions and Education Needs
Despite a growing understanding of the aggregating habit in fi shes, the food and
commercial importance of aggregating species general, and recognition of the need
for management, this is rarely a high fi shery or conservation priority. Reasons for this
include: (1) a lack of understanding, or even awareness of the presence of exploited
aggregations in an area or that known aggregations may need management; (2) the
presence of other management measures in the fi shery which are assumed to provide
suffi cient protection in the absence of aggregation management; (3) the attractiveness
of fi shing seasonal high abundances and hence strong resistance to management;
(4) the existence of roe fi sheries that depend specifi cally on spawning fi sh; (5) the
long-term traditional use of aggregations but lack of any previous experience of their
vulnerability because, historically, levels of use were too low to be a problem or
because of a shifted baseline with younger fi shers unaware of changes; (6) a desire or
need to maintain regular supplies of target fi sh to markets; (7) the need to increase
fi sh landings to satisfy local or international markets (Sect. 8.1 ); (8) a lack of knowledge about the various possible direct and indirect effects of fi shing on aggregations
that are, as a consequence, not incorporated into fi shery models (see research needs
Sect. 8.7 ) and; (9) a lack of regular inclusion of targeted aggregation sites or of habitat
often associated with aggregations (such as outer reef slope/shelf drop-off areas) into
marine protected area planning (Sadovy de Mitcheson et al. 2008 ) .
8 Fishery and Biological Implications of Fishing Spawning Aggregations…
8.5.3 Economic Benefi ts from Recreational
Use of Spawning Aggregations
In some places there may be considerable economic benefi t in protecting aggregations entirely from commercial exploitation, substituting sport diving for extractive
use, or introducing catch and release recreational fi sheries. For example, the value
of an aggregation of grouper in Belize was estimated at 20 times that of the extracted
fi sh (per annum) if protected and used solely for diving tourism (Sala et al. 2001 ) .
This calculation focused only on the recreational diver benefi t without factoring in
the (additional) long-term benefi t/value to the non-aggregation fi shery of allowing
fi sh to spawn. The extent to which displaced fi shers might directly benefi t in such
cases is not clear, but work in Belize has successfully retrained displaced fi shers as
tour guides (Janet Gibson personal communication 2010). In Komodo National
Park, Indonesia, the estimated value to the fi shery of protecting aggregations within
the park, allowing fi sh to fulfi l their reproductive function and for their diving recreational value was signifi cant (Ruitenbeek 2001 ) . In the western Atlantic Turks and
Caicos Islands, the Nassau grouper is a high-profi le species in the dive tourism
industry and divers are evidently willing to pay more for dive packages on which
they observe more and/or larger fi sh (Rudd and Tupper 2002 ) . Lack of effective
management of such fi sheries may thus impose signifi cant economic externalities
on the dive tourism industry (Rudd and Tupper 2002 ) . Recreational fi sheries on
aggregations can be economically valuable and are covered in Sect. 8.2.2 .
8.6 Perceptions and Education Needs
Despite a growing understanding of the aggregating habit in fi shes, the food and
commercial importance of aggregating species general, and recognition of the need
for management, this is rarely a high fi shery or conservation priority. Reasons for this
include: (1) a lack of understanding, or even awareness of the presence of exploited
aggregations in an area or that known aggregations may need management; (2) the
presence of other management measures in the fi shery which are assumed to provide
suffi cient protection in the absence of aggregation management; (3) the attractiveness
of fi shing seasonal high abundances and hence strong resistance to management;
(4) the existence of roe fi sheries that depend specifi cally on spawning fi sh; (5) the
long-term traditional use of aggregations but lack of any previous experience of their
vulnerability because, historically, levels of use were too low to be a problem or
because of a shifted baseline with younger fi shers unaware of changes; (6) a desire or
need to maintain regular supplies of target fi sh to markets; (7) the need to increase
fi sh landings to satisfy local or international markets (Sect. 8.1 ); (8) a lack of knowledge about the various possible direct and indirect effects of fi shing on aggregations
that are, as a consequence, not incorporated into fi shery models (see research needs
Sect. 8.7 ) and; (9) a lack of regular inclusion of targeted aggregation sites or of habitat
often associated with aggregations (such as outer reef slope/shelf drop-off areas) into
marine protected area planning (Sadovy de Mitcheson et al. 2008 ) .