Analyse des données de pêches à pied traditionnelles et de chasse sous-marine, pratiquées en 2008 et 2009 dans la Réserve Naturelle Marine de La Réunion

The Réserve Naturelle Marine (Natural Marine Reserve) of La Réunion island has been created recently (2007) for managing the coral reef of La Réunion West coast. In this area, traditional shore fisheries and spear-fishing are now regulated, controlled and under scientific survey in order to optimize the management of these fisheries, mainly leisure activities. This report draws up a first evaluation of the Reserve eco-guards monitoring in 2008-2009 over these fisheries, with double aim of : - improving the methodology : sampling strategy, terminology standardization ; data base setting up ; - collecting a data series for future evolution survey and comparisons with previous data (before creation of the Reserve). According to the collected data, the beach seine for the yellowstripe goatfish (Mulloidichthys flavolineatus), reel fishing and spear-fishing provide comparable yields around 0.5 to 1 kg/ hour/ fisherman. The use of a simple fishing rod without reel gets lower results next to 0.2 to 0.3 kg/ hour/ fisherman. The yield of the octopus shore-fishing, more difficult to estimate, would be a better higher (0.3 kg / hour/ fisherman). In addition, the few data collected on night spear-fishing show a highest yields (3.5 kg in average) and therefore the need of a more acute survey. Numbers of fishermen and the frequentation peaks of these various fisheries have to be assessed better, in order to allow extrapolation to the whole annual catches.