Costs of Catch Shares
Carl Bouchard aboard his 45' Novi stern trawler out of Hampton, New Hampshire. Carl has fished for 40 years. He is a productive fisherman who markets his own fish. Of the shift from days at sea to catch shares he said, “It is not a fair and equitable exchange. Management encouraged us to by days at sea permits, then changed the currency, making those permits worthless.” ©Photo by Sam Murfitt
As groundfishermen grapple with the implementation of sector management as one of the latest catch share programs to be established among the nation’s fisheries, the federal government is bringing the catch share concept to the forefront of the discussion about fishery management.
Many in the fishing community are concerned that catch share programs can lead to the loss of small boat fleets and communities and the “government giveaway” of a public resource.
“It’s important to consider who the owners of the fisheries are. It’s supposed to be the people,” Gary Libby, a founding member of the Midcoast Fishermen’s Association in Port Clyde, told the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) at their January meeting.
