Battered Gulf Fisheries Look to Future

Hurricane aftermath puts focus on dangerous race for fish

Posted: 16-Nov-2005; Updated: 02-Oct-2009

Before the hurricanes struck, thousands of shrimp boats plied Gulf waters, making competition fierce.

Days after Hurricane Rita pummeled the Gulf Coast, the fishing boat Norman B headed into choppy, debris-filled waters to catch red snapper. Captain Russell Underwood would have preferred not to take the risk of heading to sea so soon after the storm — but had little choice. Government regulations restrict the time fishermen may catch snapper to only ten days a month when the season is open, leaving a narrow window to bring in a limited amount of fish. These inflexible rules create a grueling race and spur fisherman to brave dangerous conditions. Underwood’s vessel ran into mechanical troubles and had to be rescued by oil rig workers.

“Fishermen’s lives are risky enough without fishing derbies making things worse,” says Underwood. There is a better way. A system of individual fishing quotas (IFQs), or “catch shares,” would offer fishermen flexibility to work when they judge market and weather conditions to be right.

Underwood’s crew were luckier than many who suffered from the Gulf Coast’s twin pounding by Katrina and Rita – no one knows how many boats were sunk and how many fishermen lost their lives. But Underwood’s dilemma in the hurricane aftermath underscores the plight of many fishermen caught in the race for fish.

Hurricanes wallop Gulf fishing industry

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck at the heart of the Gulf’s multibillion dollar fishing industry. Thousands of fishing boats were smashed beyond repair or lie at the bottom of the seafloor; others suffered damaged trawl gear or nets. Docks, fish processing facilities, ice plants and freezers were lost or wrecked. Initial losses to seafood production and damage to infrastructure will reach well into the billions, and a wide swath along the Gulf Coast from Pensacola, Florida, to the Texas border (and including the Florida Keys) is eligible for disaster relief funds.

Smart disaster relief is needed 

Congress can approve a relief package that helps beleaguered fishermen in a tough industry. First, Congress should fund smart tools for recovery. And for those fishermen who want to leave fishing permanently and start over in another industry, Congress should ease the transition.

In a recent letter to the Senate, the Gulf Fishery Management Council recommended “deliberate action to address overcapitalization and overfishing” in several fisheries. The council advocated an accelerated transition to individual fishing quotas, voluntary vessel buyouts and job retraining for fishermen who choose to leave – tools Environmental Defense has long pushed for.

“Disaster relief assistance should not simply replace devastated fisheries with the same flawed system,” says our fisheries biologist Pam Baker. “We are working with fishermen and have a good plan for the Gulf that will help the fisheries economically, will help fisheries managers and will bring back ecological health to the region’s fisheries. The hurricanes’ devastation can either slow down or expedite the work.”

Shrimp industry’s hard times call for a better system

The hurricanes hit the Gulf shrimp industry particularly hard. Shrimpers were already reeling from inexpensive foreign shrimp and high fuel prices. This is a problem for the whole region – the $360 million shrimp industry produces half of the country’s wild shrimp harvest and is the single most valuable fishery.  Losses for the year in Louisiana alone are estimated at $81 million.

Yet the way this key industry is structured makes it a tough business to succeed in. There is no limit on commercial fishing licenses, so too many boats go after a limited number of shrimp. Competition is fierce and many shrimpers can barely eke out a living. Thousands of shrimp trawlers drag gear along the seafloor, harming habitat and accidentally killing sea turtles and other sea life. A more sensible way out of the industry would ease the destructive racing pressure on shrimpers to compete for the catch.  (Read more more about our work in the Gulf to build consumer demand for "Turtle Safe" eco-friendly Gulf shrimp.)

Red snapper – headed toward a brighter future?

The case of red snapper in Gulf waters mirrors other fisheries in crisis. Throughout most of the 1960s, Gulf fishermen brought in record catches of red snapper, up to 14 million pounds a year. But that began to change drastically in 1967, when catches started declining – to an average six million pounds during the 1980s – and the size of the fish got smaller and smaller.

Even as fishermen worked harder, their incomes fell. Competition grew for shrinking numbers of fish, so fishermen invested in bigger, faster boats and high-tech fishing gear.  This depleted fish stocks further and damaged habitat. Shorter fishing seasons and other measures, have not helped red snapper stocks recover, and have made competition among fishermen even fiercer.

The infamous red snapper “derby” is hurting fish stocks and endangering fishermen, as Captain Underwood can attest. Thanks in part to our efforts -- including a detailed economic analyses showing that an IFQ program will far outperform derby fishing -- the Gulf fishery management council just approved a market-based management system for the red snapper fishery this month. A disaster assistance package can build on this work. (Find out more about catch shares.)

Captain Underwood, a highliner in the red snapper business, says, “The recent hurricanes provide even more proof that IFQs are urgently needed in the Gulf. This would make fishing safer, improve the industry’s economic performance and help save an overexploited stock.” Congress has an opportunity to use disaster relief dollars to extend smarter management throughout the Gulf fishing industry.
 

Find Out More

In the news

• Fishermen air views at recent Gulf fisheries council meeting: Recreational fishermen say proposed ban on red grouper wouldn't help - The Sun-Sentinel (AP) (11/16/2005)
• Texas shrimpers struggle to stay afloat: Higher fuel prices, foreign competition a drag on gulf industry - Dallas Morning News (10/17/2005)
• Battered fishers brace for new blow - USA Today (10/11/2005)
• New limits on snapper being considered – The Courier (10/10/2005)
• Katrina could be end of line for Gulf shrimpers – St. Petersburg Times (AP) (9/15/2005)
• 'A death blow' to shrimp industry: America's share of the business was shrinking before Katrina hit - Dallas Morning News (9/6/2005)

Catch shares

• For each fisherman, a share of the catch – November-December 2005 Solutions newsletter story
• Fisheries With a Future: The Case for Individual Fishing Quotas [PDF file] - brochure
• Hope for Red Snapper in the Gulf of Mexico: Solutions to Help a Troubled Fishery - article

Environmental and health impacts of Katrina and Rita

• Assessing the environmental impacts of Katina: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Louisiana oysters are back with a clean bill of health: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries news release (10/25/2005)