There is going to be a historic change in the history of the West Coast trawl fleet in the way their catches of sole, rockfish, cod and other groundfish are managed by giving each boat their own piece of the fishery, rather than forcing them to race for the jackpot. Individual fishery quotas are widely used in British Columbia, Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico and it is considered to be a win-win, making fishermen’s lives safer by eliminating the need to go out in stormy weather, reducing the amounts of unwanted fish.
There is huge demand by fish processors to get their own piece of the West Coast’s most valuable fishery, which was worth $60 million at the dock last year for the 100 boats still active in it. The Pacific Fishery Management Council is expected to vote on the preferred alternative to a draft environmental impact statement setting the terms of the individual fishery quotas.
Johanna Thomas, director of Pacific fisheries projects for the Environmental Defense Fund, told that the new step is a leading model of how fisheries can be managed around the country. He added that the approach is sophisticated as it acknowledges fishermen’s conservation interest.
