{"id":2379,"date":"2010-11-04T12:58:52","date_gmt":"2010-11-04T16:58:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/edfish\/?p=2379"},"modified":"2010-11-04T12:58:52","modified_gmt":"2010-11-04T16:58:52","slug":"noaa-finalizes-national-catch-share-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/edfish\/2010\/11\/04\/noaa-finalizes-national-catch-share-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"NOAA Finalizes National Catch Share Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Amanda<\/a>
Amanda Leland, EDF Oceans Program - National Policy Director<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA<\/a>) today released a responsible policy to \u201cencourage well-designed catch share programs <\/a>to help maintain or rebuild fisheries, and sustain fishermen, communities and vibrant working waterfronts, including the cultural and resource access traditions that have been part of this country since its founding.\u201d EDF applauds this policy because it will restore fisheries and improve fishermen\u2019s lives and livelihoods.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

For too long the government has propped up a failed system of ocean fishery management.<\/strong> Conventional management has resulted in shrinking fishing seasons, fishery closures, and increased waste.\u00a0 Fishermen are faced with burdensome and ineffective regulations. Because of this today\u2019s fishing jobs are dangerous, part-time, and relatively unstable1<\/sup>, and more than 60 federal fish stocks are classified as overfished or undergoing overfishing. Rebuilt fisheries could increase the dockside value of commercially-caught fish by $2.2B (54% above current value) in the US2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Catch shares management is the right approach because it improves the conservation of the fishery, drives economic growth, and empowers fishermen to have stable, profitable businesses.<\/strong> Unlike conventional management, which manages the details of how fishermen conduct their business, catch shares provide fishermen with flexibility \u2014 allowing them to be more targeted and efficient. This means overfishing ends, wasteful bycatch declines, and revenues increase.\u00a0 Jobs under well-designed catch shares tend to be full-time, higher-paying, safer and more secure over the short and long terms3<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

NOAA views catch share programs as \u201cpowerful tools to manage fisheries sustainably and improve their economic performance.\u201d\u00a0 Catch shares help shift ocean fisheries from an economic drain to a driver of growth and prosperity.\u00a0 The policy has been in effect in a draft form since December 2009.\u00a0 Changes to the final policy reflect the thousands of comments received since the draft was released.<\/p>\n

The policy is focused on providing support, leadership and resources to fishery management councils, fishermen, and other interested stakeholders in order to maximize the effectiveness, flexibility, and application of catch shares. Specifically the policy will:<\/p>\n