Guiding the development of modified, stock assessment appropriate, data collection in the U.S. Caribbean through simulation modeling

The commercial fisheries of the U.S. Caribbean are small-scale tropical fisheries with little specialization, spread out landing sites, labor-intensive fishing methods, and low capital investment. Data collection over the years has been inconsistent in quantity and quality, as is typical in many small-scale fisheries. Past attempts at stock assessments for the region have been unsuccessful for these reasons. Using simulation modeling, estimates were made for the sample sizes per year and the number of years needed to complete an informative stock assessment in the U.S. Caribbean. The model also specifically evaluated the ability of the Gedamke-Hoeing mean-length mortality estimator to accurately estimate changes in fishing mortality under a range of plausible conditions. This research provides guidance for fisheries managers in the region developing new data collection protocols, as well as providing realistic expectations for stakeholders regarding the amount of time and effort it will take to complete stock assessments. In addition, similar models can be used in other data poor situations to inform, educate, and guide fisheries management.