Sharing the Fish Toward a National Policy on Individual Fishing Quotas (1999) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Pages 1-12
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, Congress for the first time mandated a national program for the conservation and management of fishery resources, to be developed by eight regional fishery management councils and implemented by the Department of Commerce through the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
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Just as there is tremendous variation among U.S. fisheries, their regulations vary according to perceived necessities in each region and the dynamics of the regional fishery management councils.
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This program was extremely effective in eliminating economically excessive effort, but in so doing highlighted the tradeoffs involved in terms of the loss of jobs, and decreased opportunities for young people and hired captains to become vessel owners and for independent harvesters to find markets for their clams. CONCERNS ABOUT THE USE OF INDIVIDUAL FISHING QUOTAS The National Marine Fisheries Service and other agencies routinely estimate the size of marine fish stocks to determine the amount of fish that can be harvested in a given year so that fisheries can be sustained; this amount is the allowable biological catch.
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To accommodate this regional uniqueness, Congress has delegated the development of fishery management plans to regional councils. A number of advantages and concerns were identified from the range of IFQ programs implemented in U.S.
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As discussed in greater detail later, decisions to develop IFQs or to use alternative methods of fishery management should be the responsibility of the regional councils. The following recommendations are directed separately to Congress, the Secretary of Commerce and the National Marine Fisheries Service, the regional fishery management councils, and states and others.
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Congress should recognize that the design of an IFQ or other limited entry system in relation to concentration limits, transferability, distribution of quota shares, and other design questions will depend on the objectives of a specific plan, requiring flexibility for regional councils in designing IFQ programs. Regional councils should have flexibility to adjust existing IFQ programs and develop new ones.
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Delegate Decisions About the Transferability of Quota Shares. The decision about whether quota shares should be transferable, one of the most critical elements in the design of an IFQ program, should be delegated to the regional councils because it depends entirely on the specific goals and objectives of the management regime.
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Limited entry is becoming more standard in marine fisheries management and NMFS and the regional councils seem ill-prepared to meet the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act for limited entry programs. Funds should be made available through NMFS to strengthen research on the design and impacts of IFQ programs and limited entry systems of all types.
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Councils should review the adequacy of stakeholder representation on advisory panels and other bodies and take steps to broaden representation, if necessary, to include representatives of stakeholders potentially affected by limited entry programs. · The biologic, social, and economic objectives of each fishery management plan and the means for achieving these objectives through IFQs (if they are deemed appropriate)
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Making shares freely transferable is generally desirable to accomplish the economic goals of an IFQ program. However, if it is desired to promote an owner-operated fishery or to preserve geographic or other structural features of the industry, it may be necessary to restrict long-term transfers of quota shares to bona fide fishermen or to prohibit transfers away from certain regions or among different vessel categories.
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Conversely, if states in a region have developed a coordinated and effective limited entry program in state waters, including IFQs, the regional councils should, where consistent with the national standards, complement these programs in federal fishery management plans. States should cooperate in the collection of social and economic data through regional cooperative fisheries statistics efforts.
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2 SHARING THE FISH: TOWARD A NATIONAL POLICY ON IFQs matching harvesting and processing capacities to the resource, slowing the race for fish, providing consumers with a better product, and reducing wasteful and dangerous fishing has been demonstrated repeatedly. If the regional councils choose to consider IFQs, they must recognize and respect the interests of all those involved in the fishery crew members, skippers, their families onshore, prospective fishermen, and all related entities.
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