Creel Surveys Credit: B. Yeeting Credit: C. Wabnitz

So what is a creel survey ? Creel is a type of small wicker basket mainly used by anglers to hold fish or other prey. A creel is designed to function as an evaporative cooler when lined with moss and dipped into the creek in order to keep the catch chilled. Caught fish are inserted through a slot in the top which is held in place by a small leather strap (Wikipedia) Creel survey A creel survey consist in looking what fishers have in their fishing basket (or for the Pacific, in their cooler) ! Survey of fishers and their catch at a landing site

Creel survey data Types of information Informations about fishers & fishing habits Species being caught and quantities Species lengths/weights Areas and habitats fished, transport Types of gear used to catch fish Amount of effort used to catch fish (CPUE) Fishers perceptions

Creel survey form Header : it identifies the survey sheet, who, when, where Atlantis fisheries 2156 Atlantis island 05/10/2014 USD Tummol’s warf Bob Pomoko Maria Bentanu 15.63087 155.10052

Slice C1 Paul Pidoil 07/05/1968 M Tummol village X John Pidoil 09/10/1970 M 10 11

Slice C1 Night spear fishing Handlining Trolling Pasipetiksa warf 2 X 20 80 USD 80 55

Slice C1 Examples of outputs Average number of fishers per trip Number of landings for lead fishers Reasons for fishing and catch use Average income per trip What else could we extract ?

Slice C2 Naso unicornis Reef fish 33 21.3 kg Night spearing Scarus ghobban Reef fish 3 2 kg Night spearing Lutjanus gibbus Reef fish 24 10.5 kg Handlining Lutjanus bohar Reef fish 31 14 kg Handlining Birgus latro Crab 6 7.2 kg Collecting walk

Slice C2 Examples of outputs Catch composition by species – Avg number Catch composition by species – Avg weight Species richness

Slices C3-C4 Naso unicornis FL 33 cm 0.8 kg Night spearing …. Scarus ghobban FL 34 cm 0.8 kg Night spearing Scarus ghobban FL 28 cm 0.4 kg Night spearing Scarus ghobban FL 32 cm 0.8 kg Night spearing Lutjanus gibbus FL 20 cm 0.5 kg Handlining Lutjanus gibbus FL 18 cm 0.34 kg Handlining Lutjanus gibbus FL 16 cm 0.32 kg Handlining …

Slice C3-C4 Examples of outputs Catch size/weights by species – By landing and method Catch composition by family– Avg size and weight Size frequency by species Night spear fishing Gillnetting

Slice C5 9 Reef fish Night spear fishing 3 Reef fish Handlining 3 Crabs Collecting 1 None Fuel USD 30 Food USD 5 Beer water USD 2

Slice C5 13 Tummoil’s warf North pass 10 km 4 hrs Frigate Island 11.7 km 3 hrs Paramol 13 km 1 hr X X X 4 50 X X X

Slice C5 Examples of outputs Average trip cost Average distance to the furthest site

Slice C6 X Reef fish kg USD 1.25 Crabs Piece 1 USD 4

Slice C7 25 20 Sea cucumber fishery X Nearshore FADs X Tummoil reef is now depleted Less fishes X

Slice C7 Fishes are getting smaller X Some species which were common are hard to find We spend more and more time to get less and less fishes