SEMINAR: MBF602 - Veronique Koch - Friday 1-28-11, 1 pm S/A 103

["Véronique Koch" <vkoch@rsmas.miami.edu>]

I am resending this as it appears it did not get through yesterday.

The political ecology of black groupers (Mycteroperca bonaci) in the Upper
Florida Keys.

Abstract

Black groupers (Mycteroperca bonaci) are one of the most valued meat fish
in the Upper Florida Keys, yet they are listed as near threatened by the
IUCN due to their vulnerability to increases in exploitation because they
are relatively slow breeders. It has also been found that the southeastern
stock is below 10% of their spawning potential ratio, well below the
recommended 30% for maximum sustainable yield. One visible outcome of the
decreasing numbers of black groupers has been ?food fraud?, where other
food fish such as Asian catfish are served as black grouper in
restaurants. This occurs when supply does not meet demand, and is an
indication of the importance of this fish to the Upper Keys community who
want to serve it despite of its unavailability. We used anthropological
methods based on political ecology to investigate the interactions of the
black grouper population of the Upper Keys with the human residents and
visitors to the area. We conducted in depth life and work histories with
stakeholders to determine the stakeholder groups involved in the political
ecology of this natural resource. The result was 7 stakeholder groups and
8 subgroups interviewed over a 3 month period. Many alliances and
rivalries between stakeholder groups surfaced during interviews regarding
black groupers as a resource, many of which were strengthened due to
environmental degradation due to increasing human population and outside
environmental pressure. Currently the measures being taken to decrease
pressure on the black grouper population are catch, size limits and marine
protected areas. The effectiveness of these measures are in debate by the
stakeholders. While all of the stakeholder groups attested that the local
black grouper population had decreased in the last 20 years, most of them
saw this as an unavoidable fact of life. Paradoxically, black groupers
remain a part of Upper Keys culture, which has lead to increased imports
from countries like Ecuador and Mexico to sell in markets, and fish fraud
still prevails.


Véronique Koch
B.S. in Marine Biology, University of Stirling (2001)
Entered RSMAS in fall of 2003
Advisor: Dr. David Die


Véronique Koch
Division of Marine Biology and Fisheries
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
University of Miami, 305-421-4831





Véronique Koch
Division of Marine Biology and Fisheries
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
University of Miami, 305-421-4831



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