Development of Fishery Management Programs

Fishery management is necessarily complicated because of the nature of the industry and the

need to safeguard the resource

Any management should attempt to minimize complexity by only taking actions that are

needed to achieve the purposes of an action

Purpose and need statement

Starting point for developing alternatives

The terms are in reverse – the need is the driver and is the starting point

An action can have many purposes

Need for Gulf Trawl actionProvide a tool for bycatch management

Other purposesBalance interests of harvesting and processing sector

Sustain community participationIncrease safety

Stability in landingsPromote active participation by vessel owners

Others

Gulf trawl fisheries

Current managementLimited access with entire TAC and limits

available to any harvester

Can induce a race for the available fish

Suggested future management Catch share program that subdivides of the TAC

and available limits among participantsProgram would provide a secure share to

participants or groups of participants

Types of Catch Shares

CooperativesNMFS manages a group of vessels/permit holders

to an aggregate limitFavored by some for coordination and

communication

Individual Fishing Quota Individual allocations that limit a single permit

holder/vesselFavored by some for creating individual

accountability

Different types of shares to consider allocating

Prohibited Species Catch (BQ) Target Species

Valuable Non-Targets (Secondary)

Allocate species that are TAC constrained or find an alternative way of removing the constraint

Do you need to allocate to achieve the purpose

How are shares distributed

To whom – vessel owners, permit holders (LLP/CFEC), crew, processors, community interests

On what basis – History (define relevant performance/dependence), investment, equal shares

Overall – do what is fair – work from the existing conditions in the fishery modified as needed

Realize that protecting all interests need not mean that all interests receive allocations but may

require other types of protection

Additional share holders means additional transaction costs

Purposes of TransferabilityAddress contingencies

Achieve efficiencies Constraints can always be relaxed – may be more

difficult to establish constraints after implementation (particularly limits on long term transfers)

Why limit the duration of shares

Reduce the windfall of allocations – compare to limited access

Achieve other program goals – consider administration

of any redistribution – consider all incentives and consistency with other objectives

Community measures

Use the simple measures first (share caps, landing requirements) unless your objective is to restructure the

industry

Community participation in cooperatives – what exactly is the purpose and how can it be made effective and

functional while minimizing complexity and cost

Resident entry – what is reasonable entryCan you create workable community preferences (e.g., right of first offer)

Adaptive management set asides

Is set aside implemented from the outset or are fish stranded – consider potential to induce dependence of participants that

may be neglected if reallocation is made in the future

Less liberal management may be a better way to prevent undesired effects (e.g., limits on transfers, landing

requirements)

Processor roles in the management program

Involve processors in roles that are similar to current roles Fleet coordination and information

Observer/accounting roles