Fisheries are in trouble

Americans love seafood. From fish sandwiches to gourmet wild Alaskan salmon, we eat close to five billion pounds of seafood a year. Only consumption in Japan and China surpasses ours.

But our love of seafood has consequences.

In November 2006, newspapers across the country featured a cautionary tale.  According to a report in the journal Science, several of the world’s leading marine biologists concluded that, if bad fishing practices continued, in a worse-case scenario all fish and seafood species worldwide would crash by 2048. Whether this and similar conjectures come true depends on how we respond to the biological and economic decline of fisheries. The good news is that we can change course.

Many fisheries are in trouble. Worldwide, it is estimated that some 90 percent of species of large predatory fish are gone. Domestically, of 230 assessed U.S. fisheries, 54 stocks are classified as overfished, 45 are experiencing overfishing, and the status of just over half of the nation’s stocks are unknown.

America's fishing communities are also suffering. The collapse of New England's cod fishery in the early 1990s cost an estimated 20,000 jobs. About 72,000 jobs have been lost because of dwindling salmon stocks in the Pacific Northwest alone. 

Brief history of fisheries management

1960s: Unfettered access
Until the last few decades, many people believed the supply of fish was never-ending. As recently as the 1960s, marine fisheries were largely unregulated. In 1969, the report of the first national ocean commission urged that the U.S. fishing fleet be expanded to achieve more economic opportunities in fisheries.

1976: Tight restrictions, perverse incentives
Global fishing fleets were growing, moving closer to the United States and angering fishermen, particularly in New England and Alaska. In response, Congress passed the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) in 1976, expanding federal jurisdiction of fisheries from 12 to 200 miles offshore.

The MSA was charged with taking immediate steps to conserve and manage America's fishery resources as well as to promote commercial and recreational fishing, among other things. It established eight Regional Fishery Management Councils that gave the industry a voice in management matters. 

1980s to today: Cutthroat race for fish and lower earnings
The three decades since the fisheries law was passed have been marked by ever-stricter rules, from restrictions on vessels and gear to how many days are allowed at sea. Such rules have forced fishermen into a competition with each other and with regulators. 

When regulators shortened the annual fishing season, fishermen responded by increasing fleet size and using more powerful engines. This triggered further cuts in the season, prompting fishermen to put out more hooks, lines and nets, leading to more cuts in the season, and so on. In some fisheries, such as Alaskan halibut, the annual commercial fishing season was ultimately reduced to just 48 intense hours.

The "race for fish" was on, and some fishermen began fishing day and night to maximize their catch in the limited time allowed. In such frantic derbies, fouled gear is often cut adrift, where the hooks continue to "ghost fish" for months and years. Less selective gear is used, and discarded bycatch – the unintentional killing of fish and other ocean life – surges. 

Fishermen are compelled to go out in bad weather for fear of losing their catch to competitors, risking life or livelihood. They exceed catch limits and fish populations suffer. This "tragedy of the commons" encourages dangerous, economically wasteful and environmentally damaging fishing. 

As the fishermen simultaneously deliver their catch at the docks, the temporary glut of fish depresses the price they are paid. More of the catch gets frozen, meaning less fresh fish is available to the American consumer year-round. This erodes quality and further reduces income. Finally, when the short derby season is over, the fishermen return home, often to long months of unemployment.

Catch shares: Aligning conservation and economic incentives

The key ingredient to successful sustainable fisheries is a tool that can align fishermen’s economic incentives with environmental goals: catch shares.

Catch shares dedicate a share of the catch to an individual fisherman, a group of fishermen or a community. Catch shares can also be area-based, such as a Territorial Use Right for Fishing, delineating and dedicating a specific area for management by an individual, group or community.