Bottomfish Fishery
Introduction
Guam has two distinct bottomfish fisheries which can be separated by depth and species.
The shallowwater complex (100-500 ft) makes up a larger portion of the total bottom fish harvest and is comprised of reef-dwelling snappers, groupers, and jacks of the genera Lutjanus, Lethrinus, Aprion, Epinephelus, Variola, Cephalopholis, and Caranx.
The deepwater complex (500-700 ft) consists primarily of snappers and groupers of the genera Pristipomoides, Etelis, Aphareus, Epinephelus, and Cephalopholis.
Bottomfishing on Guam is a highly seasonal combination of recreational, subsistence, and small-scale commercial fishing. Bottomfishing effort for both recreational fishermen and highliners is largest during the summer months when sea conditions are generally much calmer. Calm sea conditions can occur every month of the year, which results in an increase in bottomfish activity. Fishing activity increases dramatically on the east side of the island, a more productive fishing area, during periods of calm weather.
Bottomfish and BMUS species are not caught by only by bottomfishing, but also by other methods such as gillnetting and spearfishing.
Boats and Trips
The majority of the participants are part-time recreational and subsistence fishermen who operate vessels less than 25 feet long, primarily target the shallowwater bottomfish complex, combine some trolling effort to supplement bottomfishing effort, and seldom sell their catch commercially.
Historically, notable increases and declines in Guam's total annual bottomfish harvests have been caused by the respective entry and exit of highliner vessels. These highliner vessels tend to be longer than 25 feet, and their effort is usually concentrated on the deepwater bottomfish complex.
As Guam's tourism industry has continued to grow, so too has its charter fishing industry which now includes several bottomfishing boats making multiple 2-hour to 4-hour trips daily. Thus far, two types of charter bottomfishing trips have been identified and surveyed. There are the more typical charter boats involving 3-6 patrons, and there are the larger "party-boat" vessels carrying up to as many as 30 patrons on a single trip. Most of these bottomfish charters operate out of the Agat Marina and primarily target the shallow water complex of bottomfish.
A significant increase in the number of bad weather days was observed in 2002. Guam was had direct hits by Supertyphoon Chata'an in the late spring and by Supertyphoon Pongsona at the beginning of December. The typhoons did significant damage to boats, temporarily closed two major boating access ramps, and virtually eliminated charter fishing. Local fishermen also reported poor catches immediately after both storms. These factors may have caused the significant decrease in bottomfish participation, effort, and catch for the 2002.
The number of boats bottomfishing, the number of bottomfish trips, and the number of hours spent fishing during 2001 increased 4%, decreased 44%, and decreased 43% respectively.
Although total BMUS landings decreased 17% in 1995, total bottomfish harvest increased 23%, caused primarily by a 58% increase in recreational and subsistence-type boats participating in the fishery. The 1995 total number of boat hours and trips increased nearly 60% caused by the recreational and subsistence-type boats and calm seas throughout most of 1995 which allowed many boats to participate in bottomfishing more often. The 1995 statistics are, however, representative of a general increasing trend which began in 1986.
Total Landings and Restrictions
Total and BMUS bottomfish harvest decreased in 2002. Total bottomfish landings decreased 33%, with non-charter decreasing 39%. The charter catch increased 58%, but it makes up a small portion of the overall harvest. Total BMUS landings decreased 40%, with the non-charter and charter components decreasing 45% and 31% respectively. Offshore catches made up 84% of both the total bottomfish catch and BMUS catch.
The fairly large fluctuations over time in bottomfish landings in Guam appear to be caused more by entry and exit patterns of fishermen, rather than from changes in fish stocks. The number of highliners fishing in the area doubled from 1993 to 1994, increasing the total commercial BMUS harvest and revenue by nearly 300%.
In 1995, the total BMUS landings and total commercial harvest declined 39% and 56%, respectively. These reductions are best explained by the absence or reduced effort of about six highliners who combined have landed an average of 18% of the total BMUS harvest during the last 4 years and 68% of the unexpanded total commercial landings for the same period.
Due to Guam's declining tourist visitor arrivals and declining revenue, subsistence and commercial fishing may increase in order to offset the potential loss of jobs in the government and private sector. Agriculture's Fisheries section will report data collected at Guam's fishing preserves to the local legislature in 2003.
Local laws, other than those restricting fishing in Guam's marine preserves, are not pro-active in overall fishery conservation, since there are no size, number, species, or seasonal restrictions. In addition, fires, farming, and clearing activities are responsible for depositing vast amounts of silt on coral reefs every year.
During 2002, the Achang Marine preserve allowed the take of seasonal juvenile jacks within the preserve boundaries, decreasing the number of no-take preserves from three to two. Although there is a cultural component for this seasonal harvest, this may negatively impact the preserves intent to restore the stocks of jacks.
The Tumon Bay preserve allows for the take of jacks, while the Pati Point preserve allows the take of all species caught by rod and reel from shore, many of which are BMUS and bottomfish species.
The testing of fish potentially contaminated by PCB around Orote Point was to be completed during 2002. This was not completed, as a more intensive testing regimen was required by the Guam Environmental Protection Agency. The study by the Navy should be completed during 2003 and reported in next year's report. The area originally restricted to fishing has been decreased after preliminary PCB testing.
Catch Rates and Revenues
The commercial sale of BMUS species decreased 44% in 2001, with the adjusted revenue decreasing by 46%. The number of fishing vendors selling local fish decreased during 2002, and sales were affected by a lack of electricity and available ice after the supertyphoons.
The adjusted average price for bottomfish has not shown consistent marketing trends. This is believed to have resulted from the seasonal supply of pelagic fish and difficulties in developing a consistent market for locally caught fish. In addition, fish imported from other islands around the region have contributed to the continued marketing problem for local fishermen.
The demand for both deep and shallow water bottomfish continues to exceed the locally caught supply. Guam's deepwater bottomfish fishery, especially during the absence of highliner vessels, has limited economic importance. The cultural value of its shallow water complex, however, remains high because of the local popularity of this assemblage of fish for food espescially during the Lenten Season. Some of the demand for both complexes of bottomfish is offset with imports from other islands throughout Micronesia and the Philippines. The quality, competitive pricing, and consistent availability of imported fish has discouraged local attempts to supplant foreign catches with Guam-caught fish.
The demand for bottomfish, may be contributing to the overall decline in nearshore and reef-associated bottomfish populations. Bottomfish and BMUS species are also being impacted by other boat-based methods such as spearfishing, and shore-based methods such as gillnetting. Abandoned gillnets are a regular problem on Guam and are known to catch BMUS species, although not a significant number.
The CPUE for all bottomfish decreased 21%, while the non-charter and charter CPUE decreased 20% and increased 19% respectively in 2001.
In 1995, the catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) had fallen to an all time low of 3.2 lb/hr. Based on an aggregate CPUE average of 6.9 lb/hr for the first 3 years of data collection on Guam, the 1995 figure placed the fishery in a "yellow-light" indicator of fishery stress for the first time.
The bottomfish fishery data in 1998 indicated that Guam's aggregate CPUE for all bottomfishing may have still been in a "yellow light" condition. However, the charter and non-charter components were expanded separately in 1999 and a "yellow light" condition was not observed with the non-charter component.
The bottomfish charters, primarily the Agat Marina bottomfish charters, may have skewed the overall CPUE toward a "yellow light"; condition due to the high effort and low catch of this component of bottomfishing. Nonetheless, anecdotal evidence from local fishermen and creel census data do show that the bottomfish fishery is stressed.
The sizes of bottomfish that are harvested are decreasing, especially those of the shallow water and coral reef complex. Unfortunately, these fish are usually not released despite their small size, although more fishermen are beginning to realize the importance of releasing juvenile fish and less desirable species.
Bycatch
Agriculture's Fisheries Section began collecting information on bycatch as part of its Offshore Creel Survey at the beginning of 2000 as a requirement of the bottomfish FMP. This will provide information on the effect bottomfishing may have on fish species that are caught but discarded, a practice observed quite frequently with the charter sector, and beginning to be observed with the non-charter sector. The release of small fish back into the marine environment is a small but significant action taken by some fishermen as a response to declining numbers and smaller sizes of preferred food fish.