Precautionary assessment and management of dolphinfish in the Caribbean

Dolphinfish in the Caribbean are fast growing and short-lived, living for a bout 12 to 18 months in the southern Caribbean and a maximum of 2-3 years i n the north of the region. They are believed to be highly migratory, are se asonally abundant, and likely to have a more complex stock structure than t he larger oceanic epipelagic species. Most of the information on dolphinfis h in the western central Atlantic comes from studies in the waters of the U SA and the eastern Caribbean, and there is a general paucity of information particularly for stock-based management of this species. No Caribbean coun try undertakes regular assessment of dolphinfish, or has put in place any s pecies-specific management program. Yield-per-reemit analyses for this spec ies in the eastern Caribbean suggest that maximization of Y/R is likely to lead to very low levels of mature stock biomass. A stock recruitment analys is does not show any dependency of recruitment on stock size within the obs erved stock size range. This suggests that recruitment failure could be sud den at some threshold below the minimum observed stock size, probably at ab out one third of the average observed stock size. Given the trends observed in landings of dolphinfish, a precautionary approach to management is need ed for this species in the western central Atlantic. Given the migratory, s hared nature of the dolphinfish resource, a regional approach to assessment and management is required. However, the institutional basis for this appr oach does not currently exist within the region in a form that is functiona l. The membership of the International Commission for the Conservation of A tlantic Tunas (ICCAT) does not include any of the small island states where dolphinfish is of primary importance. ICCAT would need to establish a regi onal presence in order to serve the needs of Caribbean states. The FAO West ern Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC) does not operate in a mode which would allow it to address this issue. The Association of Caribbean S tates is too new to address it within the near future. Subregional organiza tions with fisheries programs, such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) an d the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), represent only a sub set of states. However, given the ratification of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the recent International Agreement on H ighly Migratory Stocks and Straddling Stocks, these organisations could tak e the initiative to establish a regional management programme for dolphinfi sh.