Integrating Commercial Fisheries Registration, Education, and Social Science in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Abstract

The collection of economic data on commercial fisheries without a formal dealer network often requires time and labor-intensive field research. Previous fisheries social and economic research in the Caribbean has embraced stratified or cluster sampling techniques as an efficient alternative to seeking large random samples. We explore an alternative approach wherein fisheries education and research are incorporated into a registration process structured around small group interactions in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). We find that this approach can raise response rates and save considerable effort, but the surveys themselves must be very brief.

Received February 11, 2016; accepted October 28, 2016 Published online March 1, 2017

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank the USVI Department of Natural Resources for their cooperation with the MOES-VI initiative and MOES-VI partners. We especially thank Nadija Packaukas from the Caribbean Oceanographic and Restoration Education Foundation for assisting in Spanish-language interviews. Additional forms, survey results, and the survey instrument can be found at https://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/socialscience/CrossonUSVI2015.htm. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or any of its sub-divisions. All work related to the research was funded by the U.S. Government. No conflicts of interest are identified.