Title: Cuban fisheries management regime: current state and fututre prospects

This paper is an attempt to study the level of resource exploitation and the present fisheries management regime in Cuba. The paper comprises an overview of the Cuban fisheries, some theoretical background on management regimes, a critical review of the fisheries regulations through time and an account of the legal and institutional framework of the fisheries sector. An evaluation of the current status of the most important fisheries is also presented, based on catch and effort data using the Gordon-Schaefer model.

Four fisheries were analysed: lobster, shrimp, tuna and other fishes, and the results show that at the current effort levels the catches are sustainable both in ecological and economic terms, not surpassing reference points like Maximum Sustainable Yield and Maximum Economic Yield. Even though there seem to be other factors influencing the outcome, they prove that the management regime has been successful. A further hypothesis test was conducted in order to prove if the regulations issued from 1996 have had an impact on the analysed fisheries. The results showed a relation for the lobster, shrimp and other fishes, thus statistically confirming a change after 1996 in these fisheries. Nevertheless, this change could also be influenced by external factors like economic constraints. Some recommendations for future sustainable management of fisheries in Cuba, like further and more detailed studies, are also given.