EDFish

Catch Shares Not for Private Anglers – Part of EDF’s Comments on NOAA’s Draft Catch Share Policy

By / Bio / Published: April 13, 2010
Amanda Leland, EDF Oceans Program - National Policy Director

Amanda Leland, EDF Oceans Program - National Policy Director

EDF recently submitted comments to NOAA on its draft catch share policy.  In the letter we address how catch shares are better than fishery closures; how they improve fishing jobs and restore the resource; and how they are locally designed to meet specific biological, economic and social goals. We also address the importance of stakeholder input in the design of a catch share program.

We’ve been asked recently what EDF’s position is regarding recreational fishing and catch shares.  Here’s what we say in our letter to NOAA:

There are two distinct segments of the recreational fishing community: charter boats and private individual anglers. Current management is failing both segments, as seasons dwindle, bag limits shrink, size limits increase and fishing opportunities are decreased. The recreational fishing community deserves better than that.

Since charter boat captains maintain a fishery-dependent business similar to commercial fishermen, catch shares management should be considered for that segment. However, for private anglers catch shares are not appropriate and a new approach is needed. We should support new ideas that can help get fishermen back on the water and restore the resource.

Read EDF’s full letter of comments to NOAA.

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How Many Catch Shares are Here in the U.S.?

By / Published: April 8, 2010
Listing of U.S. Catch Share Programs

Listing of U.S. Catch Share Programs

People ask us this question all the time and the answer is 22, as compiled in a new infographic.  That’s not quite the answer to the ultimate question, but it’s still impressive.  There are 16 catch share programs in federal water and 6 in state waters covering more than 50 species.

The catch shares range from the tiny Mid-Atlantic Golden Tilefish Individual Transferable Quota Program to the catch share for enormous Bering Sea Pollock fishery which is split into three programs.  The catch shares cover fish species as well as shellfish like clams, and crustaceans like crab. 

We’ll be updating this list as time goes by so stay tuned.

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The Weekly Catch: Must Read News for the Week

By / Published: April 2, 2010
Halibut Illustration

Halibut

This week’s news catch brings in two great pieces — an article from The Seattle Times and an editorial from Cape Cod Times. Both pieces point toward catch shares as a solution to end overfishing. Hal Bernton of The Seattle Times reports on the prosperous health of the pacific halibut fishery since its transition to catch share management. Cape Cod Times recognizes some of the fishing industry’s hesitation to move to sector-based catch share management in New England, but rightly states, “The new system is not what’s causing the industry’s pain; the overfishing of the past is.”

“For tradition-rich halibut fisherman, the future looks prosperous”
The Seattle Times, Thursday, April 1, 2010 – By Hal Bernton

“Protect the Resource”
Cape Cod Times, Thursday, April 1, 2010 – Editorial

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To Sea or Not to Sea, Tim Fitzgerald Talks with “Now or Never Radio”

By / Published: April 1, 2010
Tim Fitzgerald, EDF Senior Oceans Policy Specialist

Tim Fitzgerald, EDF Senior Oceans Policy Specialist

Now or Never Radio, a web-based radio show on the environment, recently interviewed Tim Fitzgerald about catch shares and the currently failing fisheries management system of “days at sea” (see segment titled “To Sea or Not to Sea”). While Tim expounds on the ability of catch shares to end overfishing and improve fishing jobs, Now or Never also interviewed Gary Hall, a gill net fisherman from Block Island, Rhode Island who acknowledges overfishing as a result of conventional fishery management, but he’s skeptical of catch shares. Hall expresses that he and other fishermen want to move from their current frustrations and challenges so that fishermen can become profitable again. The bottom line is that catch shares can achieve just that.

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60 Fishermen, 23 EDF Staff, 89 Meetings: Lawmakers Hear About Catch Shares

By / Bio / Published: March 26, 2010
EDF Oceans Communications Director Tom Lalley holding a fish on a boat with Willy Phillips of NC

Tom Lalley, EDF Oceans Communications Director and author of this blog post.

A frenetic week in Washington, D.C. brought Congressional leaders together with fishermen.  Early mornings, full days and late nights were the norm as fishermen spread the message that catch shares are important for their future.  Funding for the national catch shares program is included in the Fiscal Year 2011 budget.

As fishermen face closures for the fisheries they depend on, they told lawmakers how catch shares avoid closures and allow fishing to continue even as stocks recover.  Catch shares avoid the blow dealt by closures to communities and fishing jobs.

Many fishermen also zeroed in on the universal call for better fisheries science.  Catch shares give you robust catch accounting and monitoring, whereas conventionally-managed fisheries often have few data with minimal monitoring coverage.

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EDF’s Tim Fitzgerald Appears on the Kojo Namdi Show to Talk Bluefin Tuna and Sustainable Sushi

By / Published: March 25, 2010
Tim Fitzgerald, EDF Senior Oceans Policy Specialist

Tim Fitzgerald, EDF Senior Oceans Policy Specialist

Yesterday, Tim Fitzgerald, EDF’s Senior Oceans Policy Specialist and Marine Scientist who leads our sustainable seafood work, appeared on the Kojo Namdi Show with Casson Trenor to discuss sustainable sushi and ask the question to listeners, “how well do you know your sushi?”

With the recent defeat of a proposed ban by the U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species on the export of the overfished Atlantic bluefin tuna, how to make responsible choices at the sushi bar is a timely discussion. Japan imports approximately 80 percent of the world’s bluefin tuna to satisfy the country’s love of this prized fish for sushi, which can sell for more than $150,000 per fish, so their ardent opposition to the ban was no surprise. 

Aside from bluefin tuna, other species of fish used for sushi are also unsustainably sourced. Tim and Casson went on to discuss with Kojo and the audience that while it’s helpful for restaurant owners and consumers to be knowledgeable about the best fish to select, real success in restoring overfished species will occur from industry change and effective fisheries management. Listen to the show.

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