Cautious Optimism and a Win for Groundfish as West Coast Catch Share Program Gets Underway

On January 11th, the new catch share program took effect for Pacific Ocean trawl-caught groundfish. The new management system was developed over a period of six years by fishermen, regulators and policymakers who recognized that the West Coast’s largest fishery was headed for the rocks.

As reported in the San Jose Mercury News, there is nervousness but also a cautious optimism that both fish and fishermen will win under the new system, just as they have in British Columbia and Alaska.

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One Comment

  1. ben
    Posted January 19, 2011 at 6:11 pm | Permalink

    EDF continue to advertise their effort to privatize access to public fish stocks as a good thing…why?

    Because:

    EDF have no evironmental interest in catch shares – or in designing them in a way that maintains public control and jobs for fishermen. They are in this for the benefit of their speculator pals – such as those at the Milken conference where they promised speculators 400%+ returns if they can only gain control over access to valuable public resources. EDF is part of the reason the US is going down the toilet – hordes of poorly informed peopel working for speculators that have no interest in what is best for America – only what is best for the incredibly rich 1%.