Synopsis of Puerto Rican Commercial Fisheries

"This report offers a synopsis of the main commercial fisheries around the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Commercial fisheries are an important source of income, sustenance, and employment to many coastal communities in the U.S. Caribbean. The synopsis provides a brief description of the species' geographic distribution, habitat preferences, landings and revenue patterns, main gears used, main regulations, and biological condition. The goal of this manuscript is to provide an accessible document for disseminating the salient features of commercially valuable fisheries and draw attention to those "fisheries that face management challenges. This report also complements the findings of the 2008 census of active commercial fishermen (Matos-Caraballo and Agar, 2011)"--Executive summary. 2011 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) SEFSC (Southeast Fisheries Science Center) Submitted Public Domain 1861