Catch shares policy and resources

EDF works to ensure that the world’s fisheries are restored back to health through the advancement and implementation of a transformational fisheries management approach known as catch shares. This approach gives fishermen a clear stake in the recovery of fisheries. An increasing amount of scientific evidence and on-the-water fishing experience shows clearly that catch shares work.

Scientific support

• Status and solutions for the world’s unassessed fisheries
• Assessing catch shares effects: Evidence from federal United States and associated British Columbian fisheries [PDF]
• How do individual transferable quotas affect marine ecosystems
• From anecdotes to scientific evidence: A review of recent literature on catch share systems in marine fisheries
• The ecological implications of individual fishing quotas and harvest cooperatives
• Charting a course to sustainable fisheries
• The state of world fisheries and aquaculture 2012
• NOAA's fisheries of the United States 2011 report
• West coast groundfish IFQ fishery report [PDF]
• Share the fish: Toward a national policy on individual fishing quotas

Reports

• Scientific evidence that catch shares work [PDF]
• How catch share programs benefit small scale fishermen [PDF]
• Catch shares: Community impacts [PDF]
• Sustaining America’s fisheries and fishing communities: An evaluation of incentive-based management [PDF]
• Oceans of abundance [PDF]
• Net gains [PDF]

In the media

• Washington Post, Saving the World’s Fisheries and Global Fisheries Are Declining But Can Still Recover
• New York Times, The Grand Old Party and the Sea
• Time Magazine, Dark Cloud and Silver Lining For The World’s Fisheries
• Mcclatchy Newspapers, World Fish Supply Declining But There is Hope for Recovery
• Reuters, Swift Action Needed to Save World’s Declining Fisheries- study
• Seafoodsource.com, Unassessed Fisheries in Trouble
• E & E, Fisheries: New stock assessment method reveals global declines

Highlighting fishermen’s stories

• Bob Dooley, President of The United Catcher Boats [PDF]
• Chris Brown, President of The Rhode Island Commercial Fishermen's Association [PDF]
• Buddy Guindon, Board Member, Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholder's Alliance [PDF]