Fishers average weekly takings after fuel costs, ranged from $US 450 to 3150 for fish ($US 1671±730) and from $US 210 to 1753 for lobster ($US 836±458), highlighting the profitability of fishing in Anguilla. The most recent hurricanes

that severely impacted Anguilla are hurricanes Luis in 1995 and Lenny in 1999. Hurricane Lenny caused significant flooding and damage to land-based infrastructure, but less impact at sea or on the fishing community. Consequently, when recounting impacts suffered from hurricanes, respondents selleck chemicals llc predominantly focused their responses to the effects of hurricane Luis (Table 1). The accuracy of these recollections may be enhanced by both the age of these fishers and that many were fishing during hurricane Luis, in addition to the general significance of hurricane Luis for the whole island. The majority of respondents (75%) lost gear (fish and/or lobster traps) as a consequence of hurricane Luis, with losses per fisher ranging from 13 to 250 (mean±SD, 86±67) traps. The combination of lost gear and the impact of the hurricane on hotels meant that fishers were unable to fish for at least two months (Table 1),

although one fisher stated he did not return to fishing for approximately three years. Respondents stated that the Anguilla government provided some financial assistance to the fishing community by giving each

fisher three traps to re-start fishing, and offering subsidies on wire mesh and buoys to help fishers rebuild traps. In addition to the substantial financial MAPK inhibitor impacts accrued, six respondents stated that the fishing grounds had been altered by the hurricane. Another six respondents mentioned that the fishing grounds had been completely destroyed. All respondents continued to fish after the devastation of this hurricane, even though some took several years to return to fishing. It would appear that, despite the destruction of the Celecoxib hurricane, fishing remained a viable occupation, and the profitability of fishing in Anguilla will likely have influenced the decision of these fishers to continue fishing. The personal and cultural ties that fishers have with their occupation, their ‘fisher ethic’, may provide an additional explanation for why fishers continued to fish after hurricane Luis. When asked why they fished, 63% (n=15/24) of respondents stated their motive was because of an ingrained cultural or personal desire to fish. By comparison, fewer respondents (33%, n=8/24) mentioned the financial motivation. Examples of respondent response categories and selected quotes illustrating ‘fisher ethic’ are shown in Table 2. The impact of hurricane Luis was manifest in seasonal changes in the fishing practices on Anguilla.