OUTIL POUR LA GESTION DE PECHE ET POUR LA POLITIQUE DE DECISION DANS LES CARAÏBES

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1 FISHERIES MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (FISMIS): A TOOL FOR FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AND POLICY MAKING IN THE CARIBBEAN LE SYSTEME D INFORMATION POUR LA GESTION DES PECHES (FISMIS): UN OUTIL POUR LA GESTION DE PECHE ET POUR LA POLITIQUE DE DECISION DANS LES CARAÏBES Nerissa Nagassar ACP-EU Project on Strengthening Fisheries and Biodiversity Management in ACP Countries, CARICOM Fisheries Unit, P.O. Box 642, Princess Margaret Drive, Belize City, Belize, Central America Christine Chan A. Shing Fisheries Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources, St Clair Circle, St. Clair. Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, mfau2fd@tstt.net.tt. ABSTRACT In 1993 the Fisheries Division in Trinidad and Tobago established the Fisheries Division Information Centre which provides access to bibliographic information to the CARICOM member countries in the Caribbean. Financially supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Information Centre developed the Fisheries Management and Information System (FISMIS). This is a comprehensive database system that comprises a number of bibliographic databases with references on a range of fisheries topics such as: resource assessment, policy and legislation, biology, ecology and management of stocks, aging techniques and processing. The information is obtained from the primary literature as well as from publications of international organisations, universities and fisheries research institutions. FISMIS also covers extensively gray literature on Caribbean finfish and crustacean species, such as publications and reports produced by fisheries divisions and regional organisations in the Caribbean. The majority of the bibliographic references are maintained in an archived reprint collection. FISMIS has contributed greatly to the consolidation of basic information for fisheries resource assessment and management in the Caribbean. It has also helped to reduce duplication of research and has thereby allowed a better utilisation of limited funds allocated to the fisheries research sector. RESUME En 1993, la Division de pêche de Trinité-et-Tabago a établi un centre d e l'information qui permet d'accéder à l'information bibliographique sur les pays membres de CARICOM dans les Caraïbes. Financièrement soutenu par le centre international de recherches de développement (IDRC), ce centre a développé le système d'information pour la gestion de la pêche (FISMIS). C'est un système complet de base de données, composé d un certain nombre de bases de données bibliographiques comprenant des références d une large gamme d œuvres relatives à la pêche, par exemple, l évaluation des ressources, la politique et la législation, la biologie, l écologie et la

2 gestion des stocks, les techniques de détermination d âge et le traitement du poisson. L'information a été obtenue à partir de la littérature primaire aussi bien qu à partir des publications des établissements internationaux de recherches, d'universités et et des organismes de pêche. FISMIS couvre également intensivement la littérature grise sur les téléostéens et les crustacés des Caraïbes, telle que des publications et des rapports produits par des divisions de pêche et des organismes régionaux dans les Caraïbes. La majorité des références bibliographiques sont maintenues dans une collection archivée de tirés à part. FISMIS a contribué considérablement à la consolidation d'information de base pour l'évaluation de ressource de pêche et de gestion dans les Caraïbes. Il a également aidé à réduire la duplication de la recherche et de ce fait a permis une meilleure utilisation des fonds limités assignés au secteur de recherches de pêche. INTRODUCTION Fisheries play an important economic role in the Caribbean region, yielding more than 70,000 t of fish annually and providing employment for some 40,000 people. Fisheries management in the Caribbean faces the usual problems of tropical fisheries: multi-species, multi-gear nature of the fisheries and the migratory habits of many of the commercially important species. International industrial fishing fleets operate within Caribbean waters and many Caribbean countries do not have the resources to monitor these catches or to enforce regulations governing foreign fishing within their 200 miles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Beside these factors the relative closeness of many of the neighboring countries makes many of the exploited fish stocks a shared resource, calling for the collaboration between the Fisheries Divisions of Caribbean countries to implement practical management strategies. An essential prerequisite for such cooperation, though, is convenient and evenly shared access to information on the biology, ecology and status of the fish stocks. In response to this increased need for information the Marine Fisheries Analysis Unit (MFAU) of the Fisheries Division in Trinidad and Tobago established at their premises the Fisheries Division Information Centre. The Information Centre provides a range of information services to scientists and fisheries managers in the region. Given the prohibitive cost related to the subscription to scientific journals, these services concentrate primarily on giving access to bibliographic and other database distributed on Compact Disks such as Aquatic Science and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), Fish and Fisheries Worldwide (FFWW), WAVES, Fishes of the Caribbean, FishBase ( and ReefBase ( FISMIS: A DATABASE OF CARIBBEAN FISHERIES INFORMATION In 1989 the Fisheries Division implemented a project to create an integrated Fisheries Management Information System for Trinidad and Tobago. The project received funding from the International Development Res earch Centre (IDRC) of Canada. The scope of the databases has since been expanded to become a comprehensive repository of bibliographic information on marine finfish and crustacean species of commercial importance in the Caribbean. The databases were developed and continue to be maintained using a customised version of CDS/ISIS 3.0, a software package developed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It is a menu-driven information retrieval system which allows users to browse, search and print bibliographic references. As a consequence of the regional scope of the databases, FISMIS benefited from the financial and technical assistance supplied under the CARICOM Fisheries Resource Assessment and Management Program (CFRAMP) - Data and Information Sub-Project. This project made it

3 possible to acquire the services of a Fisheries Documentalist who was stationed at the Information Centre during 1996 and 1997, to service the CARICOM member states and access information from these countries for the databases. Bibliographic references in FISMIS are obtained from monographs, journals, conference proceedings, newspaper articles, publications from international organisations such as FAO and ICLARM (now the WorldFish Center); university theses and publications from fisheries research institutions. More importantly, on a regional level, FISMIS is noted for its comprehensive coverage of gray literature on Caribbean finfish species and publications and reports produced by the Fisheries Divisions and other regional organisations in the Caribbean. Secondary information such as bibliographies and references from scientific papers are also included in FISMIS. Beside the bibliographic references, the Information Centre has in many cases also acquired hard copies of the referenced source maintained in an archived collection consisting mainly of reprints. Provision of some of these references may require written approval of the author or organisation. Structure of FISMIS FISMIS comprise seven databases, six of which contain bibliographic information on a wide range of biological, economic and fisheries management topics related to the artisanal, semiindustrial and industrial fishing activities in the Caribbean. One database (GUIDE) gives information on human resources related to aquatic research activities in the Caribbean. The other six components are: Stock This database contains at present some 11,500 bibliographic references, dealing primarily with resource assessment, policy and legislation, biology and management of Caribbean commercial species. The coverage of this particular database is extensive and represents a repository of information on Caribbean Fishes found nowhere else in the region. It is a clearinghouse for information dating back as early as the 1800s. Approximately 60% of the references in the STOCK database are archived as hard copies at the Fisheries Division Information Centre. Info The Database contains over 2,600 bibliographic citations dealing with the management of fisheries, providing a sound overview of biological, oceanographic, and environmental data. Subject matter includes fisheries computer programs, fishery statistics, biological sampling, catch effort systems, data collection surveys, data management and information systems (geographic and coastal). It is planned to also make this database available as hardcopy. Ageing This Database (487 records at the time of writing) was created to support the project on aging of selected commercial Caribbean species at the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) in Trinidad and Tobago. This database is still in its development phase and the Fisheries Division Information Centre is actively seeking access to information for this database by requesting documents from scientists and research organisations whose research includes the aging of tropical finfish.

4 Fispro A small database containing approximately 605 records at the time of writing, which includes bibliographic citations on fish processing practices, methodology and related areas. The database covers fish processing practices such as salting, drying and smoking of fish and post harvest practices. Cruise This is an inventory of fishery and oceanographic research cruises conducted in the Caribbean region. Based on cruise reports, it provides a record of the vessels used, the type of data recorded, area covered and gear employed. Where available, major objectives of the cruise and summary of the results are also given. Gulp The Gulf of Paria database was created as part of an Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project jointly carried out by FAO and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. There are approximately 1,200 records of published information on the Gulf of Paria, which is situated between Trinidad and Venezuela. This area represents the most important commercial fishing ground for Trinidad and is an important nursery area for juvenile commercial species. The database contains information on the fisheries, oceanography and bathymetry of the area. Information is also available on environmentally sensitive areas, industrial and chemical pollution and other coastal zone activities, thus allowing assessment of environmental impacts of industries located on the coast of the Gulf of Paria. The Use of FISMIS FISMIS has increasingly been recognised as a source of valuable information as well as a tool to identify available sources of information. Its wide coverage of the biology of commercial species, international and regional legislation, stock assessment and management practices implemented by Caribbean countries, has provided a solid information base for fishery manager and researchers in the Caribbean. FISMIS has also helped to reduce the duplication of research and allowed a better utilisation of funds allocated to the fisheries research sector in Trinidad and Tobago. There is therefore an information foundation from which CARICOM countries can access fisheries related data and information to formulate policies and assist in research on fisheries resources of the Caribbean. With the availability of Internet and facilities at the Fisheries Division Information Centre in 1996, there has been a marked increase in the quantity and efficiency of accession and dissemination of information contained in FISMIS (see Table 1). Scientists and fisheries managers from Caribbean countries at least to the extent that they have access to the Internet - can now request searches by as well as submit titles and documents, and even Annual Reports of their respective departments via . Outlook The Fisheries Division s continued efforts to maintain and develop the databases and CFRAMP s assistance under the Data and Information Sub-project has made researchers and policy makers in the Caribbean more aware of the data and wealth of information available on the fisheries of their countries and research being conducted in neighboring islands. In recognition of this important

5 role, the Fisheries Division Information Centre in Trinidad and Tobago was designated the Regional Centre for fisheries and fisheries related information in the Caribbean. However, on conclusion of CFRAMP s Data and Information Subproject, assistance from CFRAMP could no longer be sustained. The Fisheries Division of Trinidad and Tobago is still dedicated to servicing the needs of Caribbean counterparts. This is especially so in light of recent approaches to sustainable fisheries management which focus on the establishment of historical baselines for sustainability contained in past descriptions of the fisheries, found in the literature. The Division is actively seeking financial assistance to support the continuation of this important work. Table 1: Number of searches conducted by FISMIS staff, by year Year Requests received locally Requests received from the region ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors wish to acknowledge the contribution of Mr. Boris Fabres, CFRAMP, to the FISMIS project. His vision of a comprehensive information system for the Caribbean and his continued support were instrumental in making the project a success.