Details for Community Profiles and Socioeconomic Evaluation of Marine Conservation Districts: St. Thomas and St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. 2006

This report describes fishing-oriented communities on St. Thomas and St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI).  It also describes social and economic implications of the Hind Bank Marine Conservation District south of St. Thomas.  Notably, the social context of this project was one in which commercial fishery participants were then expressing both dissatisfaction with fishing regulations and fatigue from repeated involvement in externally implemented fisheries research.  IAI field staff were able to successfully complete research in this setting by: (a) using existing data and analyses wherever possible, (b) documenting fishing infrastructure and residence patterns in an unobtrusive manner, (c) working closely with local public officials who were in a position to facilitate interaction with local fishery participants and discuss their own knowledge of fishing and community life in the study area, (d) interacting with fishermen in a informal manner in their home communities, harbors, and places of commerce, and (f) observing and documenting local fisheries-related public meetings.  The research led to identification of five areas in which fishing and related social and economic activity was particularly extensive: the Northside, East End, and Southside districts of St. Thomas; and the East and West End districts of St. John.  Area closures, including the Hind Bank MCD were found to have displaced certain established harvesters, some of whom had moved their operations to adjacent areas.  Although this shift in fishing effort initially caused gear conflicts and crowding, the problems were worked out by the fishermen over the course of time.  The most enduring effects of the closures involve heightened tension between fishermen and external resource management agencies active in the region.