Lobster fishery by the Kuna Indians in the San Blas region of Panama (KunaYala)

The San Bias archipelago along the Atlantic coast of Panama is inhabited ex clusively by Kuna Indians, who maintain the rights to exploit fishery resou rces in the area. Exportation of the spiny lobster, Pa,Panulirus argus, to Panama City constitutes one of the major sources of income for the Kuna eco nomy. No published data exist on either the magnitude of the fishery or the life history and population dynamics of P. argus anywhere in Panama. We mo nitored P. argus export in two areas of Kuna Yala over a period spanning 16 months. We gathered data on weight, length, sex, and reproductive state of all lobsters comprising the catch of each day. Overall, the sex ratio of P . argus in the San Bias was nor significantly different from unity. However , there was a significant excess of fi males among smaller size classes (< 105 mm carapace length, CL), and of males among larger ones. The size of fi l st reproduction for female P. argus in Kuna Yala is 67 mm CL as defined b y the smallest size class including females with eggs or spermatophores, an d 73 mm CL as defined by the smallest size class in which > 20% of the fema les carried eggs. Reproductive females were present during all 9 months cov ered by our monitoring, with no clear peak in their proportion, indicating year-round reproduction. Average measured daily export of P. argus to Panam a City was 11.7 Kg at one locality and 20.1 kg (in one of three outlets) at the other. Total estimated annual export was 18 t from these two localitie s and 92.48 t from the entire San Bias region. At 1998 prices, the total in come to the Kuna nation from lobster export was estimated as US$ 620,388.00 . Median carapace length of exported lobsters (83 mm in one locality, 77 mm i n the other) was only slightly larger than the size at first sexual maturit y. Thus, slightly less than half of the export consists of pre-reproductive individuals. However, because Kunas only fish for lobster by fret-diving d uring the day, there is a sanctuary for lobster in depths > 20 m. Removal o f small P. argus individuals and harvesting of shallow coral for the constr uction of sea walls are the greatest threats to the resource. As of 1998, t he estimated yield per km(2) (67 kg) was relatively high compared with othe r areas of the Caribbean. considering that no traps, nets, or SCUBA diving are employed in the fishery.