Concern for Caribbean Billfish

Fishing enthusiasts have been seeing a decline in many of the offshore pelagic game fish that were once plentiful in the Southern Caribbean. This decline is due mainly to the over fishing of these species by longline vessels operating in the region and the figures are worsening with each passing year.

In the Southern Caribbean, yellow fin tuna and to a lesser extent swordfish, are the primary targets of the longline fleet; however, all offshore pelagic species are affected by this fishing practice, particularly billfish. The Atlantic billfish family includes - blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish and spearfish. Billfish are considered “by-catch” and are not the primary targeted species of the longliners; however, they account for a large percentage of the landed catch. Listed as over fished, Caribbean billfish would eventually become endangered, if action is not taken to reduce the landing of these magnificent fish.

The longline fleet operating out of Trinidad is said to be over 200 boats strong with more that 150 of these being Taiwanese vessels. The Taiwanese have been operating out of former National Fisheries at Sea Lots, Trinidad for more than 20 years. This is one of the Caribbean’s largest fishing ports and the landing place for tens’ of thousands of billfish annually, which are sold locally or exported as “by-catch”.

The Taiwanese operate large vessels that stay at sea for months at a time, each boat setting an average of 50 miles of line with more than 500 hooks per set each day. Multiply that figure by 150 and the results are frightening. The fish have little chance. What is also frightening is that no regulations and quotas are in place to ensure the survival of the species for future generations.

It has also been said that the Taiwanese have been involved in illegal drift netting and shark fining. Shark fining is one of the most inhumane fishing practices, where live sharks are brought on-board the fishing vessel, the fins are cut off and the live shark is thrown back into the sea. With no fins the shark’s fete is inevitable.

The Taiwanese fishing base at Sea Lots, Trinidad is off-limits to the public. It is a high security area, where cameras are not allowed, so who knows what comes ashore and what really goes on there?

Grenada also has its share of problems with their local longline fleet accounting for thousands of billfish landings each year. Reports of 200 billfish coming ashore in a single day is not uncommon. Again, these billfish landings in Grenada are “by-catch” of the many longliners operating out of Grenada, which primarily target yellow fin tuna.

Barbados also has a very large commercial fleet that are responsible for many billfish landings. Apart from billfish, the Barbados commercial fleet are particularly efficient at harvesting flying fish, which are the primary food source for pelagic species, including billfish, in the region. Therefore, by extension, indiscriminate harvesting of flying fish could also lead to a decline in the pelagic species as their primary food source declines.

In Martinique, the commercial fishermen have a different approach for catching marlin. They hook small live tuna onto heavy monofilament lines that are attached to buoys. Several of these baited buoys are placed near the Island’s many offshore Fish Aggregating Devices, otherwise known as FADs. These FADs are positioned by the Island fisheries department to attract tuna and marlin for the commercial fishery. As many as 30 Blue Marlin have been observed being landed by a handful of “Pangas” fishing at one of these said FADs. With so many of these FADs placed all around the island coupled with groups of “Pangas” fishing their many locations all year round, one can only imagine the annual landings of billfish in Martinique.

What can we do? Firstly, all fishing enthusiast should lobby their respective governments to control and regulate the longline fishery in their area starting with strict quotas on billfish. The longliners are responsible for the killing of more billfish than any other party. Therefore the longliners must be reduced to a level that allows for sustainable harvesting of billfish, and all other species for that matter. Management is the key.

We as sport fishermen should continue to practice “catch and release” and promote and educate this practice to the young generation. Workshops should be put in place to educate captains and crews on how to handle billfish during and after the fight to ensure a safe, quick and healthy release. We should also follow the Billfish Foundation/IGFA initiative to “take billfish off the menu” . We as consumers should not support any entity that is involved in the selling of billfish or billfish products. Fishmongers, restaurants and super markets that sell billfish, as well as products, and by products, which are made from billfish, such as cat and dog food, fertilizer, etc. should not be supported.

This is not all a “doom and gloom” story for the billfish. Last year, the United States white marlin fishery was the best in decades. After being listed as endangered for a few years, amazingly, the white marlin population increased in a relatively short period and have since been taken off the endangered species list. What is also amazing is that white marlin is once again an abundant game fish specie on the east coast of America. Similar results can be obtained in the Southern Caribbean, if we reduce the landing of billfish here, thereby giving the billfish a chance to replenish itself.

It should be noted that greater government revenue income can be gained from a tourism based “catch and release” charter fishery, which brings in valuable foreign exchange, rather than the sale of a billfish carcass. The figures are as much as 100 times greater for a fish that is caught and released by a visiting angler than for the value of the same fish killed and sold as “by-catch”.

In the meantime, we must all do our part to protect billfish in our area and to educate those who simply do not understand the threat of their endangerment, lest, “we kill the goose that lays the golden egg”.

Captain Frothy de Silva.

You can contact Captain Frothy by clicking on the e-mail link.