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Fishery Bulletin 114(1) 
Table 2 
Score used for evaluating the quality of the time series of reconstructed catches, with their range of uncertainty (Intergov- 
ernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC] criteria from Figure 1 of Mastrandrea et al. [2010]). 
Range of uncertainty 
Score 
- % 
+ % 
Corresponding IPCC criteria 
4 
Very high 
10 
20 
High agreement between multiple sources for the same data and robust evi- 
dence of data accuracy 
3 
High 
20 
30 
High agreement between multiple sources for the same data and medium evi- 
dence of data accuracy, or medium agreement between multiple sources for 
the same data and robust evidence of data accuracy 
2 
Low 
30 
50 
High agreement between multiple sources for the same data and limited evi- 
dence of data accuracy, or medium agreement between multiple sources for 
the same data and medium evidence of data accuracy, or low agreement 
between multiple sources for the same data and robust evidence of data 
accuracy 
1 
Very low 
50 
90 
Low agreement between multiple sources for the same data and low evidence 
of data accuracy 
the study described here was most familiar with the 
data and information sources used, she reviewed the 
underlying data and assumptions of the reconstruc- 
tion, by fishing sectors and by 3 time periods, and 
assigned relative uncertainty scores, by sector and 
time period. Scores were then catch-weighted by sec- 
tor to derive average upper and lower ranges of un- 
certainty for each of 3 time periods (Table 3): early 
(1950-1969), mid (1970-1989) and late (1990-2010). 
Note that scoring does not reflect the method of re- 
construction but actually the relative “trustworthi- 
ness” of the data and information sources per sector 
and time period. 
Details on these steps in general and as they were 
applied specifically to The Bahamas are provided in 
Zeller et al. (2015) and Smith and Zeller 5 , respectively. 
Here, we summarize the major information and data 
sources, approaches, and assumptions involved in esti- 
mating catches from 3 sectors: 1) commercial fisheries, 
which is further subdivided into the artisanal fishery 
and the large-scale fishery for Caribbean spiny lobster 
( Panulirus argus)\ 2) subsistence fishery; and 3) recre- 
ational fishery. We also estimated the demand on fisher- 
ies from the tourist industry for the period 1950-2010. 
It is of key importance for readers to understand that 
we aim to address and improve the accuracy of catch 
data, and not the precision of the estimates, as we at- 
tempt to address an inherent negative bias in reported 
data (i.e., the result of the absence of data, and hence 
effective substitution with a zero, for catches taken by 
sectors, such as recreational fisheries, that are not part 
5 Smith, N. S., and D. Zeller. 2013. Bahamas catch recon- 
struction: fisheries trends in a tourism-driven economy 
(1950-2010), 28 p. Fisheries Centre Working Paper #2013- 
08. Univ. British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. [Available 
at website.] 
of the current data monitoring system; see also Covey, 
2000 ). 
Commercial fishery 
The Bahamas provide national data on only commer- 
cial (i.e., both artisanal and large-scale Caribbean 
spiny lobster) landings to FAO (Braynen 6 ). We com- 
pared available national statistics (based on data from 
annual reports published by colonial and national 
governments of The Bahamas [HMSO 7 , BDF 8 ]) with 
6 Braynen, M. 2011. Personal commun. The Bahamas De- 
partment of Marine Resources, Nassau, The Bahamas 3028. 
7 HMSO (Her Majesty’s Stationery Office). 1952. Report for 
The Bahama Islands, 1950-1951, 42 p. Colonial Annual Re- 
ports. Colonial Office, HMSO, London. 
HMSO (Her Majesty’s Stationery Office). 1955. Report for 
The Bahama Islands, 1952-1953, 48 p. Colonial Annual Re- 
ports. Colonial Office, HMSO, London. 
HMSO (Her Majesty’s Stationery Office). 1957. Report for 
The Bahama Islands, 1954-1955, 50 p. Colonial Annual Re- 
ports. Colonial Office, HMSO, London. 
HMSO (Her Majesty’s Stationery Office). 1959. Report for 
The Bahama Islands, 1956-1957, 64 p. Colonial Annual Re- 
ports. Colonial Office, HMSO, London. 
HMSO (Her Majesty’s Stationery Office). 1961. Report for 
The Bahama Islands, 1958-1959, 70 p. Colonial Annual Re- 
ports. Colonial Office, HMSO, London. 
HMSO (Her Majesty’s Stationery Office). 1963. Report for 
The Bahama Islands, 1960-1961, 75 p. Colonial Annual Re- 
ports. Colonial Office, HMSO, London 
8 BDF (Bahamas Department of Fisheries). 1990. Annual 
Report 1990, 85 p. BDF, Nassau, The Bahamas. 
BDF (Bahamas Department of Fisheries). 1991. Annual 
Report 1991, 130 p. BDF, Nassau, The Bahamas. 
BDF (Bahamas Department of Fisheries). 1992. Annual 
Report 1992, 85 p. BDF, Nassau, The Bahamas. 
BDF (Bahamas Department of Fisheries). 1993. Annual 
Report 1993, 116 p. BDF, Nassau, The Bahamas. 
BDF (Bahamas Department of Fisheries). 1996. Annual 
Report 1996, 35 p. BDF, Nassau, The Bahamas. 
