A US national expert panel has published a report urging federal and regional institutions to more committedly involve the fishing communities in the nation’s spreading catch share system.
“Although communities are included in the definition of catch shares, there has been a notable lack of implementation of existing provisions for communities in the nation’s fisheries law”, concludes the report from “The National Panel on Community Dimensions of Fisheries Catch Share Programs”, comprised of eleven experts from local fisheries organisations, the scientific community and several NGOs.
One of the members was Paul Parker, director of the Cape Cod Fisheries Trust, a fisherman/conservationist who spoke on the subject to a Brussels seminar in September 2009, organised by FISH and other NGOs.
As a “Special Advisor to the Panel” the report lists 2009 Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom, who has devoted much of her research to how fishing communities deal with shared management.
According to business sources, America’s fishing communities generate $163 billion in revenues each year and support 1.9 million jobs; however, there has been a notable lack of implementation of existing provisions for communities in the nation’s fisheries law, they say.
After spending a year reviewing existing and upcoming catch share programs in the US, the panel directed 16 recommendations to the federal government body – the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – and the eight U.S. Regional Fisheries Councils.
The recommendations included a call to further define and develop guidelines for implementation of the community provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and for the agency and councils to expand their financial tools to include public-private partnerships, loan guarantees, and a dedicated loan program to help communities purchase catch shares.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act, originally of 1976, is the primary law governing marine fisheries management in the U.S.
“This isn’t about being pro or anti-catch shares. Catch share policy is coming and, done right, it can significantly bolster fishing communities and increase jobs,” said Paul Parker when presenting the report.
“These recommendations are about putting boats on the water and boots on the deck.”
At the 2009 Brussels seminar, Paul Parker vividly described how the fisheries management system in his region, under a system of tradable rights and effort-control (days-at-sea) had failed dramatically and almost destroyed the fabric of local fishing communities. The community trust, a consortium formed by the local fishermen, had then bought up some of the tradable rights and leased them back to its members on an annual and affordable basis.