Bycatch assessment of the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) and other megafauna in artisanal fisheries of the Caribbean

Abstract

Within the framework of the Action Plan for the Conservation of Marine Mammals (MMAP) in the Wider Caribbean Region and the Regional Management Plan for the West Indian Manatee, the SPAW-RAC has initiated a study on one of the main threats region-wide for the West Indian manatee: bycatch and vessel strikes. This study, the “Manatee Bycatch Pilot Project,” consists of a questionnaire that has been submitted to fishermen in Belize, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Mexico. The aim of this study was to investigate bycatch and use of West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus), cetaceans (essentially delphinids), and sea turtles.