Guam Coastal Fisheries Data Collection Guam Department of Agriculture Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources (DAWR)
Methods of Data Collection Catch surveys Arrests for illegal fishing Fisheries Independent Surveys Commercial Sales Export Permits (Scientific collecting, aquarium trade, personal use) New Projects
Catch surveys Data collected since late 1960s Standard format since 1985. 4 survey dates per month- 2 weekday and 2 weekend 4 participation survey dates per month- 2 weekday and two weekend Challenges Interviews are voluntary Staff shortages
Illegal Fishing MPA arrests Other violations Challenges Not enough enforcement- 5 officers Support issues Severity of Penalties Slow legal system
Fisheries Independent Surveys MPA fishcounts NOAA MARAMP cruises Other surveys Challenges Comparability of methods Observer bias Equipment issues Shortage of staff
Commercial Sales DAWR provides receipt books Pounds, price per pound, total sales Challenges Data seldom at species level Reporting is voluntary Confidentiality Personality conflicts
Collecting Permits University of Guam Scientific Collecting Aquarium collecting Personal Use- Home aquarium collecting and export Challenges Reporting in a timely manner Species level identification
New Projects Over two years, Bureau of Planning along with DAWR will be documenting all imports of fish to Guam Commercial and Personal use Species, origin, total weight Challenges Volume of imports Naming- Local names