United States: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Fisheries Service (NMFS) has approved a Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) proposal to curtail overfishing.
This will be an unprecedented shift in how some west coast fish harvests are managed. The proposal can help both fish and fishers and breed economic efficiencies that are difficult to achieve under customary management plans.
The new approach – a catch shares system – will eradicate the traditional practice of establishing a fleet-wide, numerical quota of how many fish can be caught sustainably and then allowing fishers to compete to catch as much of that amount as they can prior to the fishery being closed or the quota lowered.
"Under a catch-share system, fishermen can better plan their season, reduce overfishing and bycatch and fish during safer weather," said Will Stelle, Jr, NMFS northwest regional administrator.
The trawl fishing industry is backing the new system, which was created by PFMC, which in turn works with NMFS to produce fishery management schemes for the west coast.
Fishery managers have for decades argued that the customary, fleet-wide approach encourages fishers to fish as hard and as fast as they can despite risky weather, excessive hours and strained gear, as any fish left in the water can be harvested by other fishers. Under the current system of management trip limits can change, making it more difficult for fishers to plan their business.
Conversely, catch shares directly divides the total amount of a quota into shares controlled by individual fishers. Shares can be caught whenever, ideally more efficiently and profitably.
The current proposal would constitute a first step toward this new approach.
NOAA will make two formal modifications to a current management plan governing west coast trawl groundfish harvests. He said the aim is to boost individual fishers' accountability, completely harvest the quota trawl fishers are given, up the fishery's economic and biological stability and sustain fishing jobs and communities.
The two changes to the existing Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (Amendments 20 and 21) will formally apply catch shares to manage the fishery. The Pacific groundfish trawl fishery, including popular species like sole, sablefish and Pacific whiting, was worth US$40 million in 2009 to fishing communities across the US.
Known as the "trawl rationalisation programme," Amendment 20 will set individual fishing allowances for the shore-based fleet and fishing cooperatives representing the trawl fleets at-sea. The programme's goal is to expand fishers' incomes, lower environmental impacts and make fishers liable for their catch and bycatch.
Amendment 21 will allocate the catch of groundfish between trawl fishers and non-trawl sectors of the fishery. Said allocations would enhance management by streamlining the programme's administration, providing the fishery with stability and lowering halibut bycatch.
If a final rule is approved later this summer by the Secretary of Commerce, the catch–shares programme will become effective early 2011.
Natalia Real (Fishing Information and Services)
