Final: Biscayne National Park Fishery Management Plan Socioeconomic Report

Edaw, Inc.

This report, the Biscayne National Park Fishery Management Plan Socioeconomic Report, is designed to support the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that is accompanying the preparation of a new Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the park. It is comprised of several sections, including the main affected environment and environmental consequences of the EIS alternatives sections, as well as supporting sections to address other EIS requirements, including a treatment of environmental justice. The affected environment section characterizes the social and economic characteristics of the communities adjacent to Biscayne National Park and the nearby region to provide a background for the social and economic characterization of park-related fisheries activities. The economic dimensions of park-related activities in general are contrasted with the local economic context, including the larger economy of Miami-Dade County. In addition to a general socioeconomic characterization, detailed information on fisheries activity within Biscayne National Park is presented, to provide additional perspective. This detailed fisheries information includes characterizations of both commercial and recreational fishing activities derived from existing data sources and new information gathered specifically for this project, including data developed during ethnographic interviews with a limited number of fishery participants. In general, the economic scale of commercial fisheries activities that occur within Biscayne National Park is modest compared to the larger local economy. These activities, however, are important to the participants in a number of ways and may be seen as one part of the overall set of relationships to local resources that serve to define the social and cultural context of life in southeast Florida for some communities. and populations. Baseline demographic and economic information relevant to subsequent environmental justice analysis is also presented in this section. The environmental consequences section presents information on likely socioeconomic consequences of each of the alternatives contained within the EIS. These impacts are examined on a sector basis, with the sectors including the commercial fishing sector, the recreational fishing sector, and the support services sector. Community and regional impacts are also described, as are cumulative impacts. In general, no significant socioeconomic impacts are likely under Alternative 1 (no change) or Alternative 2 (minor change from current management) . Potential impacts under Alternative 3 (moderate change from current management) and Alternative 4 (considerable change from current management) are more complex. No impacts significant at the regional level are expected under either alternative, but impacts at the sector or localized level are more difficult to predict. This is because management objectives under these two alternatives may be achieved at least in part through management measures that are not yet specified. For example, area closures may be used but the specific areas to be closed are unknown. As different fisheries take place in different areas of the park, specific short- or medium-term consequences to individual fisheries cannot therefore be estimated at present. Under Alternatives 3 and 4, there is the potential for significant impacts on an individual operation, fishery sector, or localized level in the communities that are home to the fishermen, vessels, or related support service activities. Alternative 4, however, would have more significant impacts over the longer term as commercial fishing activities are expected to decline over time and eventually cease due to the nontransferable nature of the permits that would be used under the Alternative 4 management approach. Additional impacts would be felt with the prohibition of spear fishing (Alternative 4) and elimination of the recreational lobster sport season (Alternatives 3 and 4).

Final: Biscayne National Park Fishery Management Plan Socioeconomic Report

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