U.S. Virgins Islands Fishery Development and Demonstration Project

摘要

The study assessed the economic feasibility in the Virgin Islands of offshore reef and pelagic fishery resources, while concurrently developing a domestic market for deep reef and pelagic species. Thirty eight exploratory fishing trips were made from March 1982 to September 1983 to assess fishing techniques for vertical or bottom longlining for species, surface longlining for pelagic species (tuna and swordfish), and trapping for deepwater shrimp. The results proved that the longline fishing method can be developed as a profitable fishery, if problems associated with gear loss are solved. Deepwater shrimp fishery holds promise, but catch rates need to be improved, and further research on the habitat and depth requirements are needed.