Developpement de la peche de grands pelagiques dans les antilles francaises et organisation du marche des produits de la mer

The development of large pelagic fishing in the French Antilles is an integral part of a difficult economic situation of the fishing sector in Martinique where this development can seem like a solution to increasingly acute problems. Indeed, for the regulatory authorities as well as for many participants in the sector, it is imperative to find solutions to the lack of profitability of a part of the fishing ships and to confront the regular increase of the share of imports in supplying Martinique with seafood. This question about the possibilities of developing large pelagic fishing is not new since it is already mentioned in the Notice from the Economic and Social Committee of the Martinique Region in 1982. We will not show in this document a detailed analysis of small-scale fishing in Martinique. Since the latter has been abundantly studied by the team of the Caribbean Oceanological and Halieutic Research Centre (PROHC) between 1985 and 1987, we will take up these principal conclusions (with which we are in full agreement) and bring them up to date based on data collected during our mission from 11 to 24 April 1988. The first section devoted to the supply structure (local fishing and imports) will attempt to define under what conditions large pelagic fishing can be developed. The second section will address marketing and demand. Indeed, at the same time as the problems of developing large pelagic fishing, we are faced with the question of the organisation of seafood markets. This organisation is a fundamental issue for the small-scale fishing sector in the French Antilles since its long-term future depends upon it by setting different prices and amounts exchanged according to the structure it is given. We will come to a conclusion on the economic conditions of developing a large pelagic fishery and organising a market, this based on research and study work already done. We will indicate which investigations must be conducted to complete the set of factors for decision support in this area. To perform this assessment, we reconstructed from the long series 1970-1986 (sometimes with significant inadequacies): these are presented as an appendix.