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Home > GCR > Vol. 36 > Iss. 1 (2025)

 

Alternate Title

Stakeholder Perspectives on the Status and Conservation Management of Critically Endangered Nassau Grouper in The Bahamas

Document Type

Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute Partnership

Abstract

Ensuring the sustainability of marine resources that provide food, economic security and other critical ecosystem services is a major challenge globally. Assessing stakeholders’ knowledge and perceptions of the status of fisheries and how they should be managed can yield important insights to facilitate the development of management frameworks that are likely to assist with achieving sustainability. As a socioeconomically and culturally important and critically endangered species, evaluating stakeholder perspectives on the status of the Nassau Grouper fishery is critical to help inform policy. Knowledge and perceptions of stakeholders working in The Bahamas were assessed using voluntary participatory approaches, including a workshop, questionnaires and in-person interviews. Analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data highlighted similarities and differences between and within stakeholders. Perceptions about the status of Nassau Grouper, threats that impact the species, how the fishery should be managed, and the effectiveness of enforcement methods varied across stakeholder groups. However, stakeholders demonstrated support for science-based changes to current Bahamian fishery regulations along with the implementation of new regulations and increased capacity to better enforce and manage the fishery. The desire of stakeholders to support sustainable management for Nassau Grouper was primarily based on concerns over ecosystem health, economic stability of the fishery, and the potential loss of the species.

First Page

GCFI 1

Last Page

GCFI 18

Supplemental Data
Sherman and Gittens Supplementary Material S4.docx (378 kB)
Supplemental Material S4
Sherman and Gittens Supplementary Material S2.docx (2769 kB)
Supplemental Material S2
Sherman and Gittens Supplementary Material S1.docx (24 kB)
Supplemental Material S1
Sherman and Gittens Supplementary Materials S3_KS edits.docx (3324 kB)
Supplemental Material S3
Supplemental Table S1 for Sherman and Gittens.pdf (153 kB)
Supplemental Table S1
Supplemental Figure S1 for Sherman and Gittens.pdf (166 kB)
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Supplemental Figure S10 for Sherman and Gittens.pdf (83 kB)
Supplemental Figure S10

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Statement

No artificial intelligence (AI) was used in the preparation of this manuscript

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