Historical analysis of Cuban commercial fishing effort and the effects of management interventions on important reef fishes from 1960–2005

Long-term fishery datasets can provide valuable insights into fishing histories, and represent a baseline against which to examine current status and plan for future management. For coral reef-associated fisheries, however, such datasets are extremely rare. We analyse a unique 45-year set of landings data on six reef fishes of commercial importance in Cuba's coastal fisheries, together with information on management interventions, and examine the likely implications of over-fishing and management on the long-term condition of one grouper (Serranidae) and five snapper (Lutjanidae) species. The data clearly demonstrate differential responses to fishing and management according to the biology of the different species examined. In particular, those species that aggregate most predictably, and at a small number of spawning sites, are more prone to uncontrolled fishing and in need of effective management. The increase in the number and severity of management measures over the last 20 years reflects attempts to address declines in the fishery following its development prior to the 1980s. The data suggest short-lived successes, and challenges to successful management from changing socio-economic circumstances and environmental impacts. The importance of considering, in addition to landings information, social and economic factors, management history, the biology of targeted species and the implications of environmental factors in relation to resource use, trends, and management is clearly illustrated in this study. Managers should strive to document species-specific data over the long-term and aim for robust and adaptive fishery management that constantly adjusts to the range of factors that affect fishing activity, exploited species, and responses to management.