A stock assessment for the conch (Strombus gigas L.) fishery in the Turks and Caicos islands

Abstract

Catch and effort data 1977-1994 were used to develop a model to estimate quotas and effort controls for the Turks and Caicos Islands conch fishery. Two biomass dynamic models are proposed, one with a constant rate of increase and a second with the rate of increase proportional to an external index. The models were fitted to the catch-effort time series without assuming equilibrium. Uncertainty in the choice of model and the parameter variances suggest that: (1) fishing controls will require careful monitoring and frequent adjustment, (2) effort controls were more robust than catch quotas, (3) future research should be directed at measurable factors influencing the population's rate of increase, such as the spawning stock size.