LIONFISH IN THE USVI PRESENTATION TO CFMC // AUGUST 29, 2018 // ST. - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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LIONFISH IN THE USVI PRESENTATION TO CFMC // AUGUST 29, 2018 // ST. - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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LIONFISH IN THE USVI PRESENTATION TO CFMC // AUGUST 29, 2018 // ST. CROIX, USVI TRACY YANDLE (EMORY UNIVERSITY) SHERRY LARKIN (UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA) JENNIFER SWEENEY TOOKES (GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY) MICHAEL PAGE (EMORY UNIVERSITY)

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LIONFISH IN THE USVI

PRESENTATION TO CFMC // AUGUST 29, 2018 // ST. CROIX, USVI

TRACY YANDLE (EMORY UNIVERSITY) SHERRY LARKIN (UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA) JENNIFER SWEENEY TOOKES (GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY) MICHAEL PAGE (EMORY UNIVERSITY)

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https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheets/LionfishAnimation.aspx

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INVASIVE LIONFISH

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U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

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THE PROJECT: ASSESS THE VIABILITY OF A COMMERCIAL LIONFISH FISHERY IN THE USVI

  • Are consumers willing to

consume and pay for lionfish?

  • Are fishermen willing to harvest

and sell lionfish?

  • Economic, cultural, and

regulatory barriers

Photo Credit: Holden Harris

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SOCIAL SCIENCE

Sherry Larkin slarkin@ufl.edu

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INFORMATION GATHERING STRATEGIES

  • Consumers – Structured intercept

surveys

  • Restaurant/Distributors –

Structured surveys, participant

  • bservations
  • Fishermen – Structured intercept

surveys, semi-structured interviews, participant observation

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TOPICS OF INTEREST

Fishermen

  • Fishing behavior
  • Knowledge/observation lionfish
  • Willingness to harvest lionfish
  • Spatial Variables
  • Demographics
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TOPICS OF INTEREST

Consumers/Restaurants

  • Knowledge of fish issues /lionfish
  • Interest in new food/lionfish
  • Willingness to pay
  • Spatial Variables
  • Demographics
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Fishermen Tourist Consumers Local Consumers Restaurants

346 intercept surveys 61 in-depth surveys 193 intercept surveys 152 intercept surveys In-depth interviews

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Not at All 25% A Little 15% Somewha t 29% A Lot 31%

"I am interested in trying new kinds of seafood"

Not at All 59% A Little 17% Somewhat 10% A Lot 14%

"How interested are you in eating lionfish?"

QUANTITATIVE: RESIDENT CONSUMERS

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QUALITATIVE: BARRIERS & OPPORTUNITIES

  • Barriers
  • Distrust of an unknown

fish

  • Folk perception of danger
  • Opportunities
  • Curious about

taste/quality

  • Others have

recommended

  • Want to hear from people

they trust

Qualitative Analysis

  • Qualitative, open-ended responses 

Transcribed

  • Coded thematically, using

grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss 1967)

  • Inductive categories:

barriers and

  • pportunities
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ECONOMIC:

RESIDENT CONSUMERS WILLINGNESS TO TRY LIONFISH

Logistic regression model with model simplification of WTT, McFadden pseudo R2 (0.335) suggesting reasonable fit. Notable not significant variables: age, income, education, interest in local seafood

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  • Resident consumers are willing to pay for lionfish
  • To cook at home they indicate they will pay $10.09/lb
  • In a restaurant they indicate they

will pay $17.70 for an entrée

ECONOMIC: Resident Consumers

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Residents Interested in Eating Lionfish

SPATIAL: RESIDENT CONSUMERS

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QUANTITATIVE: TOURISTS

[CATEGORY NAME]

[PERCENTAGE] A Little 5% Somewhat 18% Very 77%

How interested are you in eating locally-caught seafood during your stay in the USVI?

Not at All 25% A Little 23% Somewhat 27% A Lot 25%

How interested are you in eating lionfish?

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QUALITATIVE: TOURIST BARRIERS & OPPORTUNITIES

  • Barriers
  • Distrust of an unknown

fish

  • Name is frightening
  • Opportunities
  • Lack of awareness
  • Open to new fish
  • Exotic

Qualitative Analysis

  • Qualitative, open-ended

responses  Transcribed

  • Coded thematically,

using grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss 1967)

  • Inductive

categories: barriers and

  • pportunities
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ECONOMIC: TOURISTS WILLINGNESS TO TRY LIONFISH

Logistic regression model of WTT with model simplification, McFadden pseudo R2 (0.309) suggesting reasonable fit. Notable not significant variables: income education

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QUANTITATIVE: RESTAURANTS

Not at all 38% A Little 15% Somewhat 22% A Lot 25%

“How interested are you in selling lionfish in the future?”“

Yes! 85% No 15%

"If the price were reasonable would you buy lionfish to sell in your business?"

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Average Price Restaurants are Willing to Pay: $6.20/lb for Whole Lionfish

SPATIAL:

RESTAURANTS INTERESTED IN BUYING LIONFISH

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LIONFISH IN THE SPOTLIGHT: GROCERY SALES

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LIONFISH IN THE SPOTLIGHT: RESTAURANTS

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LIONFISH IN THE SPOTLIGHT: JEWELRY

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“HAVE YOU EVER CAUGHT LIONFISH?

20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Caught Lionfish? Targeting Lionfish? Yes No

“WERE YOU TARGETING LIONFISH?

QUANTITATIVE: FISHERMEN

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20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Do you know how to prepare it? Do you have the gear? Do you know how to catch Lionfish?

NO NO NO YES YES YES

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“IS THE PRICE OF LIONFISH HIGH ENOUGH TO COVER YOUR COSTS?”

YES 27% NO 73% YES 26% NO 74%

“DO YOU HAVE BUYERS FOR LIONFISH RIGHT NOW?”

QUANTITATIVE: FISHERMEN

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QUALITATIVE: CONCERNS

  • Spines
  • Venomous, NOT Poisonous
  • Protect yourself with gloves
  • De-spine with shears
  • Cut off spines in the water
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CONCERNS

  • Spines- Venom
  • Remove the stinger
  • Rinse with very hot water for 30

minutes (or more)

  • Apply antibiotic cream and a bandage
  • See a doctor
  • Benadryl and pain relievers may help,

as your doctor recommends

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CONCERNS

  • Lionfish Meat- NO venom!
  • Only in the spines
  • Flesh is safe and healthy to eat
  • Except: Ciguatera
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CONCERNS

  • Ciguatera Toxin
  • Naturally-occurs in plankton in warm waters
  • Transmitted up the food chain to fish that eat the algae, then fish

that consume those fish

Ciguatera is in a LOCATION NOT a SPECIES

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CONCERNS

Ciguatera present in these areas in summer 2016 as reported by fishermen

Fish Carefully!!

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OPPORTUNITIES

  • Great Market Potential
  • Diversify portfolio- Maximize time on the water
  • Specialized Offering-- new and exciting
  • People’s tastes change!
  • Lionfish is easy to like
  • Educate the public to create demand for lionfish
  • Safe and healthy food source
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SUPPORT & OUTREACH

  • Handling and Cleaning Demos
  • Frenchtown Fishers Market, STT
  • Department of Ag, STX
  • Educational Outreach
  • Fish & Wildlife Meetings on both islands ~120
  • Radio
  • LiveStream
  • Collaborated to Support Tasting Events
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SUPPORT & OUTREACH

  • Educational Materials
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SUPPORT & OUTREACH

  • Support Materials
  • Gloves
  • Shears
  • Shirt
  • Pin
  • Atlas
  • Sting Kit
  • Bag
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IMPLICATIONS: POLICY

  • Consumer education needed to expand market and encourage commercial harvest
  • Continued fishermen education on harvesting and handling needed.
  • Importance of coordination of educational efforts:
  • Government
  • Non-Profits
  • Private sectors
  • Surveys indicate fishermen would shift some effort from other species to lionfish.
  • Encouraging lionfish market may reduce harvesting pressure on fish that are
  • verfished or experiencing overfishing.
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IMPLICATIONS: REGULATORY DEVELOPMENT

  • Managing harvest of an invasive species (like lionfish) is an

emerging issue in Caribbean, Gulf, and South Atlantic Councils.

  • MSA does not explicitly address managing invasive species.
  • Lionfish management may be an opportunity for CFMC to engage

in policy agenda setting.

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  • Fishing Communities of the USVI
  • Research Participants in St. Croix and St. Thomas
  • USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources (Division of Fish and Wildlife and

Division of Environmental Enforcement)

  • Caribbean Fisheries Management Council, STT FAC, and STX FAC
  • Undergraduate Students: Duncan Watson, Han Yang, Megan Withers, Jakob Perryman, Molly

O’Neil, Kaetlyn Lee, Jeff Kraprayoon, Paige Crowl, Jason Boss, Madison Hilley

  • Project Manager Paulita Bennett-Martin, Graduate Students: Holden Harris, Kate Groenevelt,

Natalie Mioulis, and Skyler Simnitt

  • NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant # NA15SNMF4270347

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ROTTEN FISH?