Catch Shares Take Toll Council Called To Task

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Tolley published a letter about the incident. He notes the forces driving consolidation and how fishing access for fishermen was disappearing.

The council’s executive director, Tom Nies, published a response to Tolley’s letter, glossing over the dismissal of Tolley by the chairman and praising the council’s record.

Fishermen’s grievances with the council process go back many years. Those grievances have long been about what critics cite as a lack of accountability, council members (selected, some say, by environmental groups) pressing consolidation agendas, and a failure to effectively manage the fisheries. Specifically, critics say the catch shares program has been promoted by influential groups that have had representatives appointed to the council, and catch shares has driven many fishermen out of business.

Tolley responded to Tom Nies’ response in the letter that follows. He cites independent studies that support the criticism from fishermen of council practices.