Report on West Coast Trawl Fishery Proposal in New England Sectors has been touted as well designed. Based on that Pew’s Lee Crockett, director of Federal Fisheries Policy, and Peter Baker, manager for New England Fisheries Campaigns, commented on a new study by Ecotrust that found design concerns in the proposed West Coast trawl fishery catch share program.
Lee Crockett, director of Federal Fisheries Policy, the Pew Environment Group:, said that the Ecotrust study reinforces Pew’s position that design matters when creating catch shares programs. He informed that fisheries managers design these systems to both strengthen conservation efforts and protect those fishermen and fishing communities that support sustainable fishing practices.
According to the study catch shares are not a one-size-fits-all solution for fisheries management, Pew believes that the sector allocation system implemented in New England’s groundfish fishery, which is based on a method pioneered and proven to work by a group of local fishermen in the region, is thoughtfully considered and well designed. Peter Baker, manager for New England Fisheries Campaigns, the Pew Environment Group, opined that New Enngland fishermen had initiated these sectors as voluntary, cooperative and community-based, and were designed to protect fleet diversity and coastal communities. They give a collective of fishermen incentives to fish their allocations more efficiently.
