Catch Shares
| HEAR FROM the fishermen |
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Crab fishermen in Kodiak, Alaska talk about the suffering the community and families are going to endure because the fishing waters are being basically privatized. Local crab boat owners who are part of a family of fisherman share their stories about why big industrialized boats are destroying their way of life and fishing. |
What is a catch share?
A catch share, also known as an individual fishing quota, is a transferable voucher that gives individuals or businesses the right to a fixed percentage of the total authorized catch of a particular species. Fishery management systems based on catch shares turn a public resource into private property and have lead to socioeconomic and environmental problems.
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Contrary to arguments by catch share proponents – namely large commercial fishing interests – this management system has exacerbated unsustainable fishing practices.
In addition, catch shares have:
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drastically consolidated profits
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eliminated jobs
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decreased crew pay
Moreover, catch shares have not lived up to their promise of advancing the safety of fishermen and women.
Once implemented, catch share programs fundamentally transform fisheries and are extremely difficult to reverse. Without policies that explicitly stop catch shares, this management system will spread to new fisheries.
Fact Sheets
Reports
- Land-Based Recirculating Aquaculture Systems — This report, Land-Based Recirculating Aquaculture ...