Overview: Top Findings About Catch Shares

Economic incentives are key to managing fisheries well

Our massive research project "Sustaining America's Fisheries and Fishing Communities" took over 14 months, analyzing over 150 peer-reviewed studies and collecting data on nearly 100 fisheries. The study includes an in-depth performance analysis of the 10 existing U.S. and joint U.S.-Canadian catch share fisheries. 

The Environmental Defense team included over 30 scientists, economists, fishery specialists and other experts. It is the largest such study since the U.S. Congress lifted the moratorium on catch shares five years ago.

Our study shows that by adding a key missing ingredient -- economic incentives -- to fisheries management, we can:

• protect the environment,
• increase profits,
• provide higher quality fish,
• create more full-time jobs, and
• save lives.

This study documents how fisheries in the United States and British Columbia have performed against key environmental, economic and social goals since converting from conventional management to catch shares. 

The results are truly impressive:

Environmental 

• Catching within limits – All catch share fisheries have catch limits and compliance rises dramatically. In fact, on average landings were 5% below the cap.
• Improved Science and Monitoring – Nearly three-quarters of catch share fisheries are monitored for environmental impact, compared to just one-quarter of non-catch share fisheries. Biomass estimates were significantly more precise.
• Reducing bycatch – Bycatch was reduced by more than 40%, which, together with the benefits of complying with catch limits, each year saves the equivalent of the annual seafood consumption of 16 million Americans.
• Limiting fishing impact on habitats -- Catch share fisheries deploy 20% less gear to catch the same amount of fish:  less gear in the water likely results in reduced habitat destruction.  All of the catch share managed fisheries also make use of ecosystem protection tools like time or area-based closures.

Economic

Economic performance – Revenues per boat increased by 80% due to higher yields per boat and higher dockside prices.

Social

Safety – Under catch share systems, safety more than doubles, based on an index of vessels lost, lives lost, search and rescue missions and recorded safety violations.

Despite all their benefits, however, catch shares do change the business of fishing:

• Although job stability markedly improves, for example, the nature of those jobs changes. While there is a welcome increase in full-time employment, the total number of available crew positions decreased by half. 
• The viability of some small-scale operators and ports may indeed be reduced as fishing businesses adapt.

Fortunately, as we discuss in this report, the careful design of catch share programs can mitigate these transitional costs, and the substantial new assets generated by catch shares makes it possible to do so.

Simply put, when catch shares are added to the fisheries management mix, environmental damage decreases significantly and economic performance increases substantially. As such, it’s not surprising that fisheries with catch share systems are seven times more likely than conventional systems to be rated “well managed” by the Marine Stewardship Council’s independent third-party certification process.

See key recommendations based on the top findings outlined in our report "Sustaining America's Fisheries and Fishing Communities."

Posted: 22-Mar-2007; Updated: 23-Mar-2007