Title: Collection, management, and primary analysis of fisheries data in the Commonwealth of Dominica

This study examined the field sampling catch and effort data collected for Dominica from 1994 to 2014 and reconstructed catch and effort series for that period. Documentation was prepared for the data collection system, databases used and reporting of fisheries data by the Fisheries Division of Dominica. Finally, a CPUE analysis was prepared for the dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) fishery of Dominica. The available data produced from the existing data collection and data management system proved useful for preparing some primary analyses. National fishing effort has fluctuated around 120 thousand trips per year, gradually increasing since 2000. The total national estimated catch is at around 1000 tonnes per year, but declining in the long term since 1994. Dolphinfish catch is around 200 tonnes annually, slightly increasing in the long term. The average catch-rate of dolphinfish for the period was 38 kg per trip. The analysis includes only data from the Dominican fishery, so it cannot account for the entire multinational dolphinfish stock, but the CPUE trends seem to indicate that the stock is stable at the current harvest levels. However, analytical stock assessment of the dolphinfish data is required to evaluate whether the stock is at a level where it is most productive in terms of annual yield.