ECONOMIC VALUATION OF THE FISHERIES OF BARBADOS - FIRST PROJECT REPORT - Analysis of Fisheries Landings, Vessel and Demographic Data

Oct 13, 2026

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Assessment of the economic value of Barbados fisheries using government-collected datasets from the Fisheries Information System (FIS) and the CARICOM Fisheries Information System (CARIFIS). The report analyzes registered persons and vessels in the FIS from 2002–2007 and recorded landings in CARIFIS from 1997–2006. Findings include low re-registration rates among valid fisher IDs, male dominance, an average age near 51, part-time registrants, multiple gear use, species targeting, and a marked decline in annual recorded landings with no clear CPUE change.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages66

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Study data sources (FIS and CARIFIS)

Key findings on registered persons and vessels

Findings on landings trends and CPUE

Notes on database application and limitations

STATS WSHOP/FEB 2014/REF DOC 4 C. ECONOMIC VALUATION OF THE FISHERIES OF BARBADOS Analysis of Fisheries Landings, Vessel and Demographic Data Collected by the Government of Barbados ECONOMIC VALUATION OF THE FISHERIES OF BARBADOS Analysis of Fisheries Landings, Vessel and Demographic Data Collected by the Government of Barbados ECONOMIC VALUATION OF THE FISHERIES OF BARBADOS FIRST PROJECT REPORT Analysis of the fisheries landings, vessel and demographic data collected by the Government of Barbados By: Tanya Staskiewicz, Julian Walcott, Hazel A. Oxenford and Peter W. Schuhmann Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES), University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados in collaboration with: Adriel Jackman, Mercille Earle and Joyce Leslie Fisheries Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Princess Alice Highway, Bridgetown, Barbados Prepared for: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Government of Barbados August 2008 A collaborative Research Project between CERMES, UWI and the Barbados Fisheries Division ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors of this report acknowledge the assistance of Fisheries Division personnel and database consultant, P. Medley in accessing, using and understanding the FIS and CARIFIS databases. G Franklyn of the Fisheries Division is especially thanked for his willingness to accompany us to various markets and landing sites to obtain further insight into the data collection system. Funding was provided by the Government of Barbados, through the ‘Economic Valuation of the Fisheries of Barbados’ collaborative research project, and in-kind by the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies, University of the West Indies and University of North Carolina, Wilmington, USA. This document may be cited as: Staskiewicz, T., J. Walcott, H.A. Oxenford and P. Schuhmann 2008. Analysis of the fisheries landings, vessel and demographic data collected by the Government of Barbados. First project report on the economic valuation of fisheries in Barbados, Fisheries Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Barbados, 54pp. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Barbadian fishing industry is of unique economic and social importance to this Caribbean island. For years, the activities within the various fisheries and their performance trends have been recorded, monitored and analyzed in some fashion or form. This study aims to add to this wealth of information by taking an in-depth approach to analyzing existing data collected by the Barbados Fisheries Division (BFD) over the past decade. These data are stored in the Fisheries Information System (FIS) and the CARICOM Fisheries Information System (CARIFIS) databases which were queried in order to extract the information required for this analysis. This report focuses primarily on the information pertaining to registered persons (fishers, boat owners, captains, processors, hawkers etc.) and vessels existing in the FIS database from 2002 to 2007 and on recorded landings in the CARIFIS database from 1997 to 2006. This analysis has identified 3201 registered persons within the FIS database for whom there seems to be a low rate of re-registration despite the fact that fisher folk IDs are valid for only one year. Over 70% of these participants are almost evenly distributed between the boat owner or fisher main roles, indicating a higher representation of fishing activities as opposed to fish handling activities. The fishing industry is dominated by Barbadian males and there is an average age of close to 51 years. Secondary education is the most common education level achieved and there are few registered persons within this highly skilled and laborious industry that have acquired a level of tertiary education. Almost half of the registrants have multiple occupations and are therefore considered part-time participants within the Barbadian fishing industry. The various fisheries of the island i

FAQs

What data sources does the report use to value Barbados fisheries economically?

It uses two government-linked databases: the Fisheries Information System (FIS) and the CARICOM Fisheries Information System (CARIFIS). The FIS covers registered persons and vessels for 2002–2007, while CARIFIS provides recorded landings for 1997–2006.

What do the findings show about registered persons in the FIS database?

The analysis identifies 3201 registered persons and indicates a low rate of re-registration, despite fisher IDs being valid for only one year. Over 70% are distributed between boat owner or fisher main roles, emphasizing fishing activities more than fish handling.

What trend appears in annual recorded landings and how does CPUE relate to it?

Recorded landings in CARIFIS show a drastic decline from around 3000 mt in 1998 to a little over 1500 mt in 2006, mainly from the flyingfish fishery. The report notes the decline could be real or due to recording-system issues, but a crude CPUE calculation does not show an apparent change.

Oct 13, 2026

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