# New National Fishing Policy Announced Today Focused on Catch Shares 

*Published:* 2009-05-19
*Author:* Diane Regas

*Diane Regas is Associate Vice President for EDF’s Oceans program.*

![Diane Regas, Associate Vice President - EDF Oceans Program](https://blogs.edf.org/edfish/wp-content/blogs.dir/18/files/2009/05/dregas3.jpg)The top government official for the nation’s fisheries today took a giant step in the right direction for the U.S. fishing industry and the oceans. At a speech in Boston, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that she was creating a task force to develop a new policy on catch shares to ensure that they are fully considered when fishery management councils amend management plans.

Recent scientific studies have shown that catch shares perform dramatically better than conventionally-managed fisheries. The bottom line is that the new policy is likely to dramatically increase the number of fisheries managed by catch shares and that’s great news for the oceans and fishermen.

In her speech, Dr. Lubchenco said that NOAA would move “forward to implement more catch share programs” and that “all of the (fishery management) councils will see increases in their allocations in the 2010 (budget) request” for catch shares. She also announced a new task force to develop a nation-wide catch share strategy.

Here’s the full text of Dr. Lubchenco’s speech this morning:

**Comments by Dr. Jane Lubchenco at the Council Coordination Committee Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts – Tuesday, May 19, 2009.**

———–  
Thank you, John and Jim. I greatly appreciate your warm words of  
welcome. It’s a treat for me to be back in Boston and I thank you for  
the opportunity. Boston holds a special place in my heart. I was here as  
a grad student and young professor in the 70s – a time of stimulating  
intellectual debate and a great era for sports fans – Bruins, Celtics  
and, of course, the Red Sox. I am sorry I cannot stay for the game  
tonight but Pat Kurkul and Paul Howard have graciously consented to  
enjoy the game for me. Due to my new responsibilities as Administrator,  
some of my pleasures need to be vicarious ones, but others are direct.  
Being here today is a personal pleasure.

I have been anticipating the opportunity to talk with all of you since  
the President first nominated me to lead NOAA. This group—the Council  
chairs, the Regional Administrators and the Executive Directors of the  
Councils—are the focal point for successful fisheries management in the  
US. And that successful fishery management is closely connected to the  
health of the ecosystems that in turn sustain life in the oceans. These  
connections have not always been obvious, but they lie at the heart of  
our ability to be successful.

In March, I was able to meet with the New England Fishery Management  
Council to discuss its pending decisions about sectors. I was impressed  
with the willingness of Council members to have open, frank and  
respectful discussions about challenging issues, and to work together to  
solve problems.

Today, with your support and your leadership, I believe that we have an  
unparalleled opportunity to truly demonstrate that good, stable jobs,  
stable fisheries and resilient ecosystems can be achieved together.  
Fishing is an integral part of our cultural heritage and our coastal  
communities. Fishing is also an important part of the global food  
supply. The best possible fisheries management will be needed to sustain  
that supply over the coming years. The challenges we face every day make  
that a tall order.

My principle message to you today is that I, and the  
team at NOAA, will be partners with you in finding every opportunity to  
make the health of the oceans go hand-in-hand with the prosperity of  
fishermen and the well-being of coastal communities.

I will be with you to help seek the resources you need to meet the  
challenges ahead.

We will be partners in developing NOAA’s strategy to manage fisheries to  
end over-fishing. To rebuild stocks. To improve the economics of  
fishing, and to protect the ecosystems that sustain fisheries. These  
goals are not antithetical; they go hand-in-hand.

As partners we will celebrate successes, and together we will seek out  
and implement solutions to the problems that we find.

And, as a partner with you, I am committed to improving the transparency  
of our science and the quality of our two-way communications. The  
Councils provide stakeholders with an important and direct role in  
managing the Nation’s fisheries. Making sure that NOAA provides clear  
advice and support into that process is key. Just as important is making  
sure that we are listening to the concerns and ideas that emerge from  
the Councils.

Before I talk about specific priorities, let me share a little bit about  
my background.

I was fortunate to grow up in Colorado where I developed a deep  
appreciation for the land, the rivers and lakes — hunting and fishing  
with my father, hiking and camping and sailing with family and friends.

I first became enamored with the oceans during a summer college class in  
Woods Hole, Massachusetts. To a Colorado native, the newly discovered  
life in the sea seemed exotic and endlessly fascinating. Little did I  
realize at the time that life in the oceans is also essential to human  
prosperity and well-being. My exposure to the oceans was love at first  
sight and my life’s work was set in motion.

As a researcher, teacher, and vocal champion of good science, I have had  
the opportunity to visit coastal communities around this great Nation:  
the Pacific, the Gulf, the Atlantic and even the Arctic. I have been  
struck by the extent to which Americans across the country and from all  
different perspectives share common desires when it comes to oceans and  
coasts. We want clean beaches. We want safe healthy seafood. We want  
stable fisheries. We want abundant wildlife. And we want vibrant coastal  
communities. What few people recognize is that these outcomes are  
intertwined with each other and all require healthy oceans.

I believe the work of NOAA and the Councils in the next few years will  
be an important part of realizing each of those aspirations.

I wish to highlight for you now areas where I see prime opportunities:  
**(1) catch shares, (2) tracking progress, (3) ecosystem approaches to  
management, and (4) good communication.**

NOAA and you are committed to meet the mandate of the Magnuson Act to  
end overfishing by 2010. We know that annual catch limits are key to  
achieving that goal. However, just having a good ACL does not mean that  
it will be effective. It doesn’t mean it will be adhered to. Therefore,  
I challenge you to put as much emphasis on how those catch limits are  
met as you put on getting the catch limits correct.

Recent scientific analyses show us that fisheries managed with catch  
share programs perform better than fisheries managed with traditional  
tools. Even in the first years after implementation, catch share  
fisheries are stable, and even increase their productivity. The  
scientific evidence is compelling that that catch shares can also help  
restore the health of ecosystems and get fisheries on a path to  
profitability and sustainability. These results… these scientific  
analyses… are why moving forward to implement more catch share programs  
is a high priority for me. I see catch shares as the best way for many  
fisheries to both meet the Magnuson mandates and have healthy,  
profitable fisheries that are sustainable. Catch shares that are well  
designed and thoughtfully prepared.

I applaud the many people on the Councils, fishermen and NOAA Fisheries  
employees who have provided strong and creative leadership to make catch  
share programs work. For example, Roy Crabtree described for me at last  
night’s reception how the Gulf Council recently set up a catch share  
program for red snapper. I understand that Chairman McIlwain and the  
Council are working to add groupers and other fish to the system.

The fishermen were on board with the design of an ITQ system, and the system  
passed overwhelmingly on a vote of the license holders. In the first  
year, discards in the fishery decreased 70%, and the price on the dock  
went up by about 25%. This inspiring example—and the efforts to make a  
sector approach to catch shares work in New England are just two  
examples of the kind of good work and results that truly inspire me. I  
want to find ways to encourage more progress like this.

•NOAA is committed to working with the Councils to ensure we have the  
necessary resources.

– As you know, in the proposed 2010 budget, we have identified $18.6M to  
address the development of sectors in the New England groundfish fishery  
to continue to assist their transition to a catch share management regime.

– The New England groundfish fishery has been managed primarily by  
effort controls in the past. Going to catch shares will be a new  
paradigm for managers and for the industry.

– The funds will be used to develop data systems and infrastructure to  
support new reporting requirements, along with at sea and dockside  
monitoring enhancements.

Rest assured though that NOAA is not focusing solely on New England at  
the expense of other regions or fisheries. All of the Councils will see  
increases in their allocations in the 2010 request.

The 2010 budget contains a $4M increase for Councils to implement annual  
catch limits, and I am committed to making sure that money is well-spent.

NOAA also provides $1M to Councils annually specifically for catch share  
programs, and is looking at potential for increases in that support in  
future years.

In addition to that we are also working with the National Fish and  
Wildlife Foundation to provide additional resources to Councils to help  
break through any financial bottlenecks you experience in moving catch  
shares forward.

To take full advantage of this opportunity, and the resources we hope to  
make available, today I am announcing a new task force at NOAA to  
develop a strategy to move forward on making catch share management more  
available to fisheries in the United States. The goals of the task force  
will be to:

1\. Develop a new NOAA policy on catch shares that ensures that catch  
shares are fully considered when Councils take up fishery management  
plan amendments.

2\. Make sure that Councils who want to move forward with catch shares  
have the technical and administrative support to move quickly to design  
a catch share system while empowering local fishermen to be part of the  
process.

3\. Make sure that catch share designs achieve the best possible  
environmental and economic performance—supporting healthy ecosystems,  
meeting annual catch limits, reducing bycatch and habitat damage and  
enhancing economic performance.

4\. Consider whether any organizational changes are needed within NOAA  
to provide the best possible communication and support.

5\. Provide advice to me on how to allocate resources to the Councils to  
support this work, and how to create milestones so that we can evaluate  
our progress.

I have asked Monica Medina to chair this task force initially. She will  
be naming the members of the task force by the end of the month. This  
will build upon the informal group NOAA has had on this. I have directed  
her to consult fully with you—the council chairs, the NOAA leadership  
and staff and the Council Executive Directors and to report back to me  
by August 1.

I want to emphasize that while I know that catch shares need to be a  
priority, I need your help making sure that we pursue this priority the  
right way. I invite your engagement in this effort.

I am very pleased that today we rolled out the annual Status of Stocks  
Report. The fact that we are reporting on the best single-year  
improvement in the number of stocks rebuilt is a testament to you and  
NOAA Fisheries’ efforts.

Four stocks were declared fully rebuilt: the northern and southern  
stocks of monkfish, Atlantic bluefish, and Gulf of Mexico king mackerel.

Three stocks are no longer subject to overfishing, and three stocks have  
increased in biomass and are no longer overfished.

And while we can claim success, this year’s report also shows the  
challenges that still exist to end overfishing and to rebuild stocks:  
three stocks have been found to be subject to overfishing and four  
stocks have been determined to be overfished.

In all, 41 stocks are subject to overfishing and 46 stocks are  
overfished. Some of these stocks are managed under international  
agreements, and action by the international community is critical to  
ending overfishing for them.

This Status of Stocks report is just one example of the absolutely  
critical role that NOAA needs to play in providing the science to  
support scientific decisions.

If we truly want to have the aspirations Americans told us they wanted  
— clean beaches, stable fisheries, safe seafood, abundant wildlife and  
vibrant coastal communities – we need policy and management decisions  
that are based on a more comprehensive understanding of how ocean  
ecosystems work.

We talk a lot about managing on an ecosystem basis, but we really don’t  
have the fundamental understanding of ecosystem-based science to really  
underpin those decisions. There is a huge amount that we don’t know  
about oceans that is desperately needed to inform the kinds of  
management decisions, especially in light of the dual challenges posed  
by climate change and ocean acidification.

So one my goals is to create a mechanism for having more comprehensive  
ecosystem-based planning that will take stock of the range of activities  
that can coexist with one another to minimize conflicts, but also ensure  
that the ecosystem remains healthy and can be recovered.

The final goal that I wish to touch on is communication. NOAA Fisheries  
does world class science, and has a long, proud tradition of excellence.  
The challenge we face is that we need to get much better at doing and  
sharing our science in non-technical terms and in ways that inspire  
confidence in the results. If we expect people to trust our decisions,  
we need to be transparent about our science and make ourselves  
accessible to those who will be affected.

Thank you very much.