CMIUUEAN SEA EcosYSTEM AssESSMENT The fisheries sector in the CARSE/\ region provides stable li.tll-time and part-time direct employment (as fishers) lor more than 200,000 peoph:, and jobs lor an cstimat.:d additional I 00,000 in processing and mnrketing. Indirect employment is also provided by boat-building, netmaking. and other support industries. People engaged in fishing often have low levels of lonna! education, limited access to capital, and limited occupational ami geographic mobility. It is estimated that each person employed in the fisheries sector has live dependents, suggesting that well in excess of 1.5 million people in the Caribbean rely on fisheries fi.)f their livelihood. 4.1.2 Dril•illJ: Forces lm[lliCtiug Caribbeau Fisheries Sea The Caribbean Sea Ecosystem Assessment has identified the following drivers affecting the llsheries of the Caribbean: 4.1.2.1 Direct Drivers • Environmental degradation and pollution of the world's seas and oceans, lor example, the dumping of toxic waste at sea, and the destruction of mangroves and other critical coastal habitats which arc spawning and nursery grounds. 4.1.1.4 Recreational Fisheries and Non-consumptive Uses Within the Caribbean region, llshcrics arc important not only as a source of food and employment for commercial and subsistence fishers, but also lor a growing number of people involved in recreational fishing, defined as fishing conducted for the purpose of pleasure and relaxation rather than lor commercial gain or subsistence by the fisherman. Popular sport-fishing maga:lincs, such as Marlin, Salt muer Sportsman, and Sport Fishing, consistently rate the Caribbean as a plime destination lor international anglers targeting billlish, such as marlins and sailfish, and for several other species of game fish. Dozens of international, regional. and national fishing tournaments arc held each year throughout the region. 23 Irresponsible llshing practices, for example, the usc of some types of trawls, dynamite, certain hightechnology fishing techniques, and the capture of non-target species by nonselective gear. • Global. warming and sea-level rise arc emerging as important factors a!Tecting fisheries globally and in the Caribbean, although the precise relationships and impacts arc still to be fully defined and quantilled. 4.1.2.2 Indirect Dril·ers Despite its popularity, there is a lack of data and inlonmllion on the n:crcational fishing industry of the Caribbean. Research is needed to understand beller the scope and economic importance of the activity, as well as its impact on marine resources and management requirements. Statistics from the U.S. suggest the pastime generates very signilicant revenues and employment: the National Marine Fisheries Service estimated in 1996 that direct expenditure lJ·om sport fishing amounted to more than U.S. $7 billion per year, providing more than one million U.S. jobs. In most Caribbean countries. sport fishing is promoted by tourism interests and is neither monitored nor regulated by the national fisheries administrations. There is therefore a strong link between the management of Caribbean fisheries and the value and impacts of tourism in the region, which are discussed in more detail later in this report. This Iink is also evident in the economic value of the diving industry, which depends on abundant and varied populations of coral-reef species of !ish and other marine life. -41- • Inadequate policy framework and institutional capacity to manage fisheries in many countries as well as at the regional level lor the management of shared stocks. • Inadequate legal and regulatory lhuncwork, and capacity lor enlorccment. Lack of knowledge of the !ish stocks; the lisheries; the social and economic conditions of the lishcrs; and the environmental and ecological processes which control nhundancc and distribution of the resources. • Growing demand for !ish and fishery products, resulting from population growth, increasing purchasing power, and improved awareness of the nutritional value of !ish, has resulted in excessive pressure on the resource. Excessive investment in fishing capacity leading to overcapitalization, compounded by the open-access nature of most fisheries· --there arc just too many fishers, boats, and fishing gear. Growing desire lor improvement in the standard of living coupled with high levels of unemployment and poverty in many developing states Ioree large numbers of persons to enter and remain in fisheries.