Over the last twenty years, NOAA Fisheries has adopted catch share (individual quota) management for eight US fisheries. A new study examines how the flexibility offered by this can make fishing a safer occupation – although this isn’t always the case.
Previous research had found that what is described as risky behaviour had dropped sharply following the adoption of catch share management in the US West Coast fixed gear sablefish fishery, as individual fishing quotas changed the incentives around fisheries by giving each vessel rights to a specific share of the allowable catch. This enables vessel operators to decide how and when to fish for their share.
‘Our initial work showed a classic story of a fishery that evolved into an intense race to fish,’ said Lisa Pfeiffer, lead author of the paper and an economist at NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center.
‘Then, after implementation of a catch share program, the fishing season lengthened, and we saw a huge shift in fishermen’s decisions to fish.’
Seeking to find out how the sablefish fishery compared to the eight other catch share fisheries across the United States. So she modelled weather conditions and fishing behaviour in these eight fisheries to determine how the adoption of catch shares changed fishing behaviour, specifically the decision to fish in poor weather.
She expected that weather would have less influence on fishermen’s decisions if they weren’t in a catch share fishery. This is because there is often little choice but to fish when the season is open. If seasons are very short, there may be a need to fish in poor weather if they are going to fish at all.
Lisa Pfeiffer hypothesised that after a catch share programme was put in place, fishermen would have more flexibility to avoid poor weather. They would fish less in stormy or dangerous conditions.
Her research confirmed those expectations in most fisheries she studied. Catch shares reduced the incentive to take riskier trips in poor weather – but she also found some nuances. The structure of the catch share programme and previous management also has an effect.
Prior to the catch share programme, the West Coast groundfish trawl fishery had a long, drawn-out season in which there were monthly catch limits. With a catch share programme in place, fishermen were able to condense fishing effort into a shorter time window.
This presents economic advantages, opening opportunities to take part in other fisheries, but also resulted in fishermen taking risks so as to be finished sooner.
According to Lisa Pfeiffer’s findings, this illustrates the complex trade-offs in balancing expected returns, risks, participation, and constraints throughout their fishing year. Each fisherman, fishery, and region is influenced by a unique set of drivers.
‘There are other incentives driving fishing behaviour beyond just safety,’ Lisa Pfeiffer said, citing the structure of the fishery and the fact that fishermen may fish in multiple fisheries throughout the year.
‘However, knowing more about how fishermen react to management actions like catch shares can improve future policies.’
