Billfish are highly migratory pelagic species distributed throughout the world. In the Atlantic Ocean, billfish include: sailfish (Istiophorus platytpterus), blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) and white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus). Billfish are a popular recreational game fish in the U.S., throughout the Caribbean and in parts of South America. Billfish are targeted by various artisanal vessels in the Caribbean, West Africa and South America. Another source of mortality is the incidental bycatch of billfish on longline and purse seine vessels. The popularity of recreational fishing has increased in recent years and this group’s impact is fairly unknown. Typically assessments focus on the biological aspects of fish stocks, but in the case of billfish, the social and economic effects are extremely important to the species’ survival and longevity.

Billfish are an important food source in areas where artisanal fishing is high. In Ghana alone, fish consumption makes up 15% of the protein diet (Atta-Mills 2004). Management decisions neglect to use socioeconomic information or the data are not available, but ultimately management measures affect human use. If a management measure that restricted catch of billfish were implemented then there may be a serious effect on communities that rely upon billfish as a source of protein. Socioeconomic information is vital for species’ survival and for minimizing impacts to human communities. Recreational fisheries and artisanal fisheries will be surveyed to cover four information areas: fishery operation description, catch data, socio-economic data and perceptions of fishery management objectives. The survey will provide data for economic and social performance indicators: gross revenue, net revenue, financial profit, economic profit, stakeholder characteristics, gender issues, stakeholder perceptions, governance, traditional knowledge and community services. Artisanal studies will be completed in Playa Verde, Venezuela and Ghana; recreational studies will be completed in South Florida and Senegal.