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FROM THE CROWE’S NEST
The move to expand aquaculture may say as much about the direction of fisheries management policy as anything that has surfaced in the new MSA to date. The government recognizes that the wild stocks are declining. At the same time the demand for seafood is increasing. The budget strapped government has found it difficult to manage fisheries and sees consolidation as a workload reduction mechanism. Consolidation will kill fishermen faster than it will kill fish stocks. The mobile, fast, powerful and larger and larger boats sweep through areas cleaning out stocks. Politically powerful, they will lobby for “efficiency” (consolidation). Aquaculture is by definition managed, almost mechanized. The aquaculture industry’s expectation to raise cod on corn flakes and tofu, is smoke and mirrors. Aquaculture is dependent on the wild fish stocks for food and therefore remains part of the wild stock equation. Their expansion numbers on the known resource = fuzzy math. If the budget drives coming policy in fisheries management, the trump card for the Gulf of Maine could be area management. It would do what management has said it cannot afford to do. It would take some of the work off their backs. And it is, effectively, like the proven management system the lobster industry uses. Area management is a system that shares management among fishermen, the council and NMFS. The fishermen in an area would have a portion of the allowable catch, fish in that area, have an incentive to take care of their defined resource and monitor each other. But the federal budget and consolidation are not the only obstacles to the survival of Gulf of Maine fishermen. Status quo is the name of the government game and another barrier to local control. But the way has been opened to the possibility of area management by the MSA. Rushing in with enthusiasm, numbers of participants and determination is what fishermen can do. The default deadline looms. |
