Smith and Zeller: Unreported catch and tourist demand on local fisheries in The Bahamas 
123 
Table 4 
Data sources, assumptions, and parameters used for reconstruction of catches in The Bahamas for the period 1950-2010. The 
FAO data used for this study came from the Capture Production data set accessed through the FAO application FishStatJ. 
Sector 
Year Sources 
Comments 
Parameter 
Commercial 
Commercial 
Subsistence 
Subsistence 
Subsistence 
Recreational 
(billfish catch from 
major tournaments) 
1950-1969 Assumption and resident 
population census data 
Used mean per capita commercial catch Per capita catch rate of 153.3 
rate for years 1970-1975 based on our kg-person^-year -1 
expanded, countrywide commercial catch 
estimates 
1970-2010 FAO data and expert opin- Retroactively raised FAO data by major 
ion from staff of The Baha- taxa each year to account for country- 
mas Dep. Mar. Res. wide, unreported commercial landings 
Haemulon spp.=l.l times 
FAO data 
Jacks (Carangidae)=1.15 
times FAO data 
Nassau grouper (Epineph- 
elus striatus)= 1.1 times FAO 
data 
Other groupers (Epinepheli- 
dae)=l.l times FAO data 
Misc. marine fishes=1.15 
times FAO data 
Queen conch (Strombus gi- 
gas)=1.15 times FAO data 
Sharks=1.05 times FAO data 
Snappers (Lutjanidae)=1.15 
times FAO data 
Caribbean spiny lobster 
(Panulirus argus)= 1.05 times 
FAO data 
Florida stone crab ( Menippe 
mercenaria)= 1.03 times FAO 
data 
1950-1969 Expert opinion of staff from Assumed a heavy reliance on subsistence 
Dep. Mar. Res. and resident fisheries because few economic opportu- 
population census data nities existed for most Bahamians dur- 
ing colonial period 
Per capita subsistence 
catch rate of 32.55 
kg-person _1 -year _1 for 40% 
of residents of the Family 
Islands 
Per capita subsistence 
catch rate of 16.29 
kg-person _1 -year _1 for 10% of 
residents of the more devel- 
oped islands of New Provi- 
dence and Grand Bahama 
1970-1979 Assumption Linearly interpolated total annual catch 
by residents of the Family Islands and 
of New Providence and Grand Bahamas 
between 1969 and 1980. 
1980-2010 Expert opinion from staff of 
the Dep. Mar. Res. and resi- 
dent population census data 
Assumed reliance on subsistence fisher- 
ies decreased after the beginning of black 
majority political rule in 1967 and inde- 
pendence from Britain in 1973. Assumed 
that the per capita subsistence catch rate 
was the same as the rate in 1950-1969 
but that the percentage of people depen- 
dent on subsistence fisheries decreased 
by 50% for residents of the Family Is- 
lands and of New Providence and Grand 
Bahama. 
Total annual subsistence 
catch declined by 27 t/year for 
the Family Islands and by 7 t/ 
year for New Providence and 
Grand Bahama 
Per capita subsistence 
catch rate of 32.55 
kg-person _1 year _1 for 20% 
of residents of the Family 
Islands 
Per capita subsistence 
catch rate of 16.29 
kg-person' 1 -year _1 for 5% of 
residents of more developed 
islands of New Providence 
and Grand Bahama 
1950 
Assumption based on data 
from the U.S. Recreational 
Billfish Survey (RBS) 
program 
There were fewer tournaments in 1950 Total catch was 3.65 t/year 
than in 1972, which is the first year of 
RBS data for The Bahamas. Assumed 
that total catches in 1950 were half that 
of 1972. 
Table continued 
