Manoj Shivlani

Perceptions and attitudes regarding marine reserves: a comparison of stakeholder groups in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Abstract The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) developed a zoning plan as part of its overall management plan, fully implemented as of 1997. The plan created several closed areas or harvest refugia in which consumptive activities are prohibited. This research reports results of surveys that we conducted with members of three stakeholder groups in the Florida Keys: commercial fishers, dive operators, and members of local environmental groups. Surveys requested responses regarding the information sources individuals tapped when learning of the zoning plan and the FKNMS; their degree of public participation; their perceptions and acceptance of the zoning strategy and the process of its design; and the expected outcomes of the zoning strategy. Many responses show significant differences among the three groups. Fishers felt highly alienated from the process of zone designation and displayed a sense of anger and powerlessness with respect to what they considered to be an attempt to exclude their group from the harvest refugia. Dive operators demonstrated the highest levels of participation in the designation process, but were concerned that refugia regulations could limit their activities in the future. Members of environmental groups were the strongest supporters of the harvest refugia concept and the FKNMS. This research suggests numerous ways in which marine resource managers could improve their public outreach and information dissemination strategies when developing future harvest refugia and marine protected areas.

Visitor Preferences for Public Beach Amenities and Beach Restoration in South Florida

Coastal erosion threatens many sandy beaches and the ecological, economic, social and cultural amenities they provide. The problem is especially chronic in South Florida. A frequent solution for beach restoration involves sand replacement, or nourishment, but is temporary, expensive, and has usually been funded by governmental sources. However, as such agencies reduce their share and require more local funding, beach nourishment must rely on other funding sources, including beach recreationists. Our study characterized three South Florida beaches and probed visitor willingness-to-pay for beach nourishment. We found that even beaches within close proximity attract different user types. Users are amenable to higher fees if they lead to greater resource protection.

Pollution prevention in the coastal zone: An exploratory essay with case studies

In the past decade, national and international pollution policies have increasingly opted for prevention over remediation. As an anticipatory, comprehensive approach that might save money and avoid end‐of‐pipe regulations, pollution prevention (P2) warrants careful consideration. We focus on the coastal zone because of its unique geographical characteristics, its ecological and economic importance, and the increasing pressures on its integrity. Over the past 25 years, U.S. legislation has increasingly embraced P2 principles in the management of coastal environments. Four case studies illustrate P2 ‘s prospects for the variety of pollution problems within the coastal zone: Boston Harbor (wastewater); Chesapeake Bay (nutrients); Broward County, Floridas P2 program for marinas (toxic substances); and the cruise line industry (solid waste). These case studies represent a range of circumstances in the coastal zone: a number of pollutants; point and nonpoint sources; land‐based and ocean‐based sources; mandato...

The Center for Independent Experts: The national external peer review program of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service

Abstract Requirements are growing for peer review of the science used for governmental management decisions. This is particularly true for fisheries science, where management decisions are often controversial. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations National Marine Fisheries Service instituted the Center for Independent Experts (CIE) in 1998 as a national peer-review program. Operations of the CIE, run under a contract with the University of Miami, maintain the independence of reviewers from the agency, and follow strict conflict of interest guidelines. Reviews by the CIE fulfill the requirements of the Information Quality Act and the Office of Management and Budgets Peer Review Bulletin. The CIE completed 101 reviews between 1999 and September 2006. Ninety-eight reviewers have participated in CIE reviews, with 72% of them coming from overseas. Case studies involving groundfish data and stock assessments, and marine-mammal abundance, are described, including the scientific issues, CIE opera...

Socio-economic Profile of the Small- scale Dive Fishery in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

This study provides the fi rst comprehensive socio-economic profi le of the small-scale dive fi shery which is the most valuable commercial fi shery in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The study revealed that the fi shery is composed of small-scale commodity producers who use labor intensive, low technology capital to catch high valued species such as queen conch, Strombus gigas; spiny lobster, Panulirus argus; various reef-fi sh (Labridae, Scaridae, Lutjanidae), and octopus (Octopodidae). The average dive operation had a 20 ft, 76 hp fi shing boat with 2–3 crew members. Diving operations fi shed 5 times a week for about 7 h. After deducting nonlabor running costs, dive operations netted about

Dive Operator Use Patterns in the Designated No-Take Zones of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS).

170 per trip. Fuel expenses acIntroduction Commercial diving is the fastest growing and most valuable fi shery in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Fig. 1). Its share of landings rose from 14% in 1994 to 31% in 2014, while its share of revenues increased from 19% to 39% during the same period (NMFS, 2016). In 2014, divers reported harvesting slightly less than half a million pounds of shellfi sh and fi nfi sh with a dockside value of

U.S. Caribbean Fish Trap Fishery Socioeconomic Study

2.3 million (NMFS, 2016). The lure of commercial diving lies in its high earning potential and ease of entry. Divers can selectively target a diverse group of highly valued species such as queen conch, Strombus gigas; spiny lobster, Panulirus argus; miscellaneous reef-fi sh (Labridae, Scaridae, Lutjanidae); and octopus (Octopodidae) with modest capital investments in craft and fi shing equipment.1 Moreover, scuba equipment can be readily serviced around the island (ValdésPizzini, 1992). In addition to low capital requirements, year-round warm weather and accessible facilities further encourage this activity (Valdés-Pizzini2). Additionally, divers do not face catch and gear theft problems associated with other fi shing gears such as traps (Agar et al., 2008). However, they face greater health risks due to the potential for decompression sickness (bends), embolism, and shark encounters. Repetitive dives increase the incidence of bone necrosis, paralysis, and 1In 2014, queen conch, spiny lobster, hogfi sh (Labridae), and octopus accounted for 42%, 40%, 5%, and 4% of the dockside revenues derived from diving, respectively (NMFS, 2016). 2Valdés-Pizzini, M. 2006. Trajectory of fi shing gears in Puerto Rico: technological changes in local fi sheries. Prelim. rep. submitted to the NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami, Fla., 51 p. even death (Matos-Caraballo and Torres Rosado, 1989; González-Román, 1991; Lopez-Tristani et al., 2004). In recent decades, fi shery managers have become increasingly concerned about the health of queen conch, spiny lobster, and reef-fi sh populations in Puerto Rico, prompting them to adopt a number of regulations that included catch quotas, trip limits, seasonal and area closures, size limits, and miscellaneous gear restrictions. Surprisingly, little socio-economic research has been conducted on the dive fi shery which is responsible for almost all of the queen conch revenues and close to 60% of the spiny lobster revenues (NMFS, 2016).3 Moreover, the queen conch stock continues to be overfi shed. This paper describes the economic and social conditions of the commercial dive fi shery to assist with policy development and evaluation. To the best of our knowledge, this study offers the fi rst comprehensive view of the commercial dive fi shery in Puerto Rico.