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)
https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheets/LionfishAnimation.aspx
INVASIVE LIONFISH
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
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
SOCIAL SCIENCE Sherry Larkin slarkin@ufl.edu
INFORMATION GATHERING STRATEGIES • Consumers – Structured intercept surveys • Restaurant/Distributors – Structured surveys, participant observations • Fishermen – Structured intercept surveys, semi-structured interviews, participant observation
TOPICS OF INTEREST Fishermen • Fishing behavior • Knowledge/observation lionfish • Willingness to harvest lionfish • Spatial Variables • Demographics
TOPICS OF INTEREST Consumers/Restaurants • Knowledge of fish issues /lionfish • Interest in new food/lionfish • Willingness to pay • Spatial Variables • Demographics
152 intercept surveys Fishermen In-depth interviews 61 193 in-depth intercept Restaurants Tourist Consumers surveys surveys Local 346 intercept surveys Consumers
QUANTITATIVE: RESIDENT CONSUMERS "I am interested in trying new "How interested are you kinds of seafood" in eating lionfish?" A Lot Not at All 14% 25% A Lot Somewhat 31% 10% A Little 17% Not at All A Little Somewha 59% 15% t 29%
QUALITATIVE: BARRIERS & OPPORTUNITIES Qualitative Analysis • Barriers Qualitative, open-ended responses • Distrust of an unknown • fish Transcribed • Folk perception of danger • Coded thematically, using • Opportunities grounded theory • Curious about taste/quality (Glaser & Strauss 1967) • Others have Inductive categories: • recommended barriers and • Want to hear from people they trust opportunities
ECONOMIC: RESIDENT CONSUMERS WILLINGNESS TO TRY LIONFISH Logistic regression model with model simplification of WTT, McFadden pseudo R 2 (0.335) suggesting reasonable fit. Notable not significant variables: age, income, education, interest in local seafood
ECONOMIC: Resident Consumers • 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
SPATIAL: RESIDENT CONSUMERS Residents Interested in Eating Lionfish
QUANTITATIVE: TOURISTS How interested are you in eating How interested are you in locally-caught seafood during your eating lionfish? stay in the USVI? [CATEGORY A Little NAME] A Lot Not at All 5% 25% 25% [PERCENTAGE] Somewhat 18% A Little Somewhat Very 23% 27% 77%
QUALITATIVE: TOURIST BARRIERS & OPPORTUNITIES Qualitative Analysis • Barriers • Qualitative, open-ended responses • Distrust of an unknown Transcribed fish • Coded thematically, • Name is frightening using grounded theory • Opportunities (Glaser & Strauss 1967) • Lack of awareness • Inductive • Open to new fish categories: • Exotic barriers and opportunities
ECONOMIC: TOURISTS WILLINGNESS TO TRY LIONFISH Logistic regression model of WTT with model simplification, McFadden pseudo R 2 (0.309) suggesting reasonable fit. Notable not significant variables: income education
QUANTITATIVE: RESTAURANTS "If the price were reasonable “How interested are you in selling would you buy lionfish to sell in lionfish in the future?”“ your business?" Not at all A Lot 38% No 25% 15% Yes! 85% A Little Somewhat 15% 22%
SPATIAL: RESTAURANTS INTERESTED IN BUYING LIONFISH Average Price Restaurants are Willing to Pay: $6.20/lb for Whole Lionfish
LIONFISH IN THE SPOTLIGHT: GROCERY SALES
LIONFISH IN THE SPOTLIGHT: RESTAURANTS
LIONFISH IN THE SPOTLIGHT: JEWELRY
QUANTITATIVE: FISHERMEN “WERE YOU TARGETING LIONFISH? “HAVE YOU EVER CAUGHT LIONFISH? 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Caught Lionfish? Targeting Lionfish? Yes No
NO Do you know how to catch Lionfish? YES NO Do you have the gear? YES NO Do you know how to prepare it? YES 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
QUANTITATIVE: FISHERMEN “IS THE PRICE OF LIONFISH HIGH “DO YOU HAVE BUYERS FOR ENOUGH TO COVER YOUR COSTS?” LIONFISH RIGHT NOW?” YES YES 27% 26% NO NO 73% 74%
QUALITATIVE: CONCERNS • Spines • Venomous, NOT Poisonous • Protect yourself with gloves • De-spine with shears • Cut off spines in the water
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
CONCERNS • Lionfish Meat- NO venom! • Only in the spines • Flesh is safe and healthy to eat • Except: Ciguatera
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
CONCERNS Ciguatera present in these areas in summer 2016 as reported by fishermen Fish Carefully!!
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
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
SUPPORT & OUTREACH Educational Materials •
SUPPORT & OUTREACH • Support Materials • Gloves • Shears • Shirt • Pin • Atlas • Sting Kit • Bag
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 overfished or experiencing overfishing.
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.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • 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
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ROTTEN FISH?
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