EDFish

EDF Oceans Program Mourns the Passing of Admiral James Watkins

By / Published: July 30, 2012

It is with deep sadness that the EDF Oceans Program mourns the loss of Admiral James Watkins, a retired United States Navy officer and former Chief of Naval Operations, who led the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy that reported its wide-ranging findings for improving ocean stewardship during the Bush Administration.

As a pioneer in oceans conservation and policy reform, the Admiral made a positive and significant impact on the improvement of our oceans during the course of his lengthy and renowned career. Among those was the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy’s partnership with the Pew Charitable Trusts to establish the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative. The initiative, which he co-chaired, is a bipartisan group dedicated to propelling meaningful ocean policy reform forward. The admiral was invited numerous times both to testify before Congress and advise them on ocean governance reform. In the media, he has been revered as an oceans expert and has written several notable op-ed pieces on oceans policy and reform. 

In honor of the admiral’s contribution to oceans policy reform, EDF Oceans vows to continue to protect the oceans that he valued, fought for and loved so much.

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‘Deadliest Catch’ Star Says Catch Share Management Brought Major Benefits

By / Published: July 27, 2012


Seabrooke-Discovery

The F/V Seabrooke. Photo credit: Discovery Channel

Scott Campbell Jr, a captain on Discovery’s “Deadliest Catch,” one of cable’s most popular shows, told CNNMONEY that catch shares have brought significant safety, environmental and financial benefits for crab fishermen in Alaska’s Bering Sea.

While crabbing in the Bering Sea is inherently dangerous, catch shares have made it less deadly.  Before crabbers were racing in an intense derby as short as two days, and 8 crabbers perished during the last five years of traditional management compared to one since the switch to catch shares in 2005.

According to CNNMONEY, Campbell explained that prices have improved. In addition, with longer seasons, crab pots can “soak” in the water longer, which gives the small crabs more time to escape, as intended.   For those that don’t escape, fishermen have more time to sort through crabs they catch and carefully return the small ones you’re not allowed to catch back to the water unharmed.

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From Bloomberg: “Teach an Industry to Fish and Maybe it will Survive”

By / Published: June 29, 2012
Boats in Chatham, MA

Fishing Boats in Chatham, MA
Photo by John Rae

On EDFish, we’re often discussing the virtues of catch shares and the progress we’re making working with fishermen to achieve sustainable fisheries.  It’s nice to see others take notice of the importance of rebuilding American fisheries and making sure their not only sustainable, but economically viable.

This week, catch shares got some attention from the editors at Bloomberg.  In their editorial, “Teach an Industry to Fish and Maybe it will Survive”  catch shares were held up as the “best alternative” to managing our fisheries in a way that’s fair to fishermen and ensure sustainability.  They affirm that carefully designed catch shares deserve more attention and widespread implementation. Read More »

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New Study Shows Improved Compliance under Catch Shares for Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish

By / Published: June 26, 2012

Gulf of Mexico Red SnapperUnder catch shares, fishermen have a strong incentive to become stewards of their fishery because they benefit directly from conservation practices, better monitoring, and improving information about stock conditions. A new study also confirms there is a positive change in incentives towards better compliance under catch shares management.

Last week, Marine Policy released a study by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) analyzing the relationship of enforcement and compliance behavior in the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program, a catch share program implemented in 2007. The goal of the study was to better understand how catch shares management affects enforcement and compliance behavior. Enforcement records and fishermen surveys were used to compare enforcement practices and cases of noncompliance five years before and after IFQ implementation. Read More »

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World Bank’s Global Partnership for Oceans Announced at Rio +20 Earth Summit

By / Published: June 16, 2012

Reef and fish, Cuba

There are many challenges facing our planet’s oceans which have not been addressed to date by any single group of citizens, lawmakers, fishermen or world leaders. Fortunately, hope can be seen in the Global Partnership for Oceans (GPO), a growing alliance of “governments, international organizations, civil society groups, and private sector interests that will mobilize knowledge and financial resources to address threats to ocean health, resilience and productivity.” This partnership, announced in February, has garnered the support of over 80 signatories so far and represents a bold and courageous front to save the oceans and preserve their social, biological and economic benefits for generations to come.

A declaration was released today by the GPO stating its objectives for achieving its international commitments for healthy and productive oceans. Read More »

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EDF Oceans Program Mourns the Passing of Elinor Ostrom, Influential Economist and Nobel Prize Winner

By / Published: June 14, 2012

It is with great sadness that EDF’s Oceans program mourns the loss of Elinor Ostrom, a Nobel Prize-winning economist who led groundbreaking research to better understand the “tragedy of the commons,” or the idea that shared public resources such as forests and fisheries will be depleted without proper regulatory controls.

Dr. Ostrom challenged the idea that regulations had to be federally mandated or ‘top-down,’ instead advocating for grassroots solutions and local engagement to address increased pressures on our resources.  Her research has been a foundation for EDF’s work on important issues such as Catch Shares, where direct involvement by local fisherman and stakeholders in fisheries management decision-making is critical to secure fishing jobs and strengthening fish populations.   We can attribute the switch from “command-and-control” style management of our fisheries here in the U.S., to a new, more decentralized and inclusive system, directly to Dr. Ostrom.

Her many accomplishments, insights and breakthroughs as the first woman in history to win the Nobel Prize in economics have impacted the work of our leadership and Oceans programs.  We owe Dr. Ostrom a debt of gratitude and will honor her work by continuing to foster local engagement in environmental and resource management issues around the world.

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