scholarly journals Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQ), Rebuilding Fisheries and Short-Termism: How Biased Reasoning Impacts Management

Systems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Edward J. Garrity
Keyword(s):  
Fishery Management ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Total Allowable Catch ◽  
Financial Transfers ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Individual Transferable Quotas ◽  
Individual Transferable Quota ◽  
Short Termism ◽  
Human Component ◽  
Pilot Tests

Recent research on global fisheries has reconfirmed a 2006 study that suggested global fisheries would collapse by 2048 if fisheries were not better managed and trends reversed. While many researchers have endorsed rights-based fishery management as a key ingredient for successful management and rebuilding fisheries, in practice the results are mixed and success varies by geographic region. Rights-based approaches such as individual transferable quota (ITQ) provide a necessary help to the important task of rebuilding fisheries, but we assert that they are sometimes less effective due to the human component of the system. Specifically, we examine the issue of setting an appropriate total allowable catch (TAC) in Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) systems. ITQ are designed on the premise that economic ownership is sufficient incentive to entice fishers to be stewards of the resource. However, an excessive short-term orientation and an affective risk response by fishers can overwhelm feelings of ownership. In such cases, fishers and fishing communities can exert sufficient pressure on TAC setting and reduce the effectiveness of ITQ fisheries toward rebuilding fish stocks. Based on our analysis that draws on cognitive psychology, short-termism, and affective risk, we suggest heightened and wider democratic involvement by stakeholders in co-managed ITQ fisheries along with potential pilot tests of government-assisted financial transfers to help in transitioning ITQ fisheries to sustainable states.

scholarly journals Socioeconomics of Individual Transferable Quotas and Community-Based Fishery Management

2004 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parzival Copes ◽  
Anthony Charles
Keyword(s):  
Fishery Management ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Value Systems ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Individual Transferable Quotas ◽  
Individual Transferable Quota ◽  
Socioeconomic Analysis ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Benefits And Costs

In many fisheries around the world, the failures of centralized, top-down management have produced a shift toward co-management—collaboration and sharing of decision making between government and stakeholders. This trend has led to a major debate between two very different co-management approaches—community-based fishery management and market-based individual transferable quota management. This paper examines the debate over the relative merits of these models and undertakes a socioeconomic analysis of the two approaches. The paper includes (1) an analysis of differences in the structure, philosophical nature, and underlying value systems of each, including a discussion of their treatment of property rights; (2) a socioeconomic evaluation of the impacts of each system on boat owners, fishers, crew members, other fishery participants, and coastal communities, as well as the distribution of benefits and costs among fishery participants; and (3) examination of indirect economic effects that can occur through impacts on conservation and fishery sustainability. The latter relate to (a) the conservation ethic, (b) the flexibility of management, (c) the avoidance of waste, and (d) the efficiency of enforcement. The paper emphasizes the need for a broader approach to analyzing fishery management options, one that recognizes and properly assesses the diversity of choices, and that takes into account the interaction of the fishery with broader community and regional realities.

How to Make Individual Transferable Quotas Work Economically, Socially, and Environmentally

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rashid Sumaila
Keyword(s):  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Fish Stock ◽  
Open Market ◽  
Economic Returns ◽  
Total Allowable Catch ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Individual Transferable Quotas ◽  
Management Objectives ◽  
Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management

The economic tool of individual transferable quotas (ITQs) gives their owners exclusive and transferable rights to catch a given portion of the total allowable catch (TAC) of a given fish stock. Authorities establish TACs and then divide them among individual fishers or firms in the form of individual catch quotas, usually a percentage of the TAC. ITQs are transferable through selling and buying in an open market. The main arguments by proponents of ITQs is that they eliminate the need to “race for the fish” and thus increase economic returns while eliminating overcapacity and overfishing. In general, fisheries’ management objectives consist of ecological (sustainable use of fish stocks), economic (no economic waste), and social (mainly the equitable distribution of fisheries benefits) issues. There is evidence to show that ITQs do indeed reduce economic waste and increase profits for those remaining in fisheries. However, they do not perform well in terms of sustainability or socially. A proposal that integrates ITQs in a comprehensive and effective ecosystem-based fisheries management system that is more likely to perform much better than ITQs with respect to ecological, economic, and social objectives is presented in this article.

scholarly journals Analysis of Optimal Harvest and Management of Capture Fishery of Lake Ziway, Central Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kindineh Sisay
Keyword(s):  
Public Good ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Fishery Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Fishing Gear ◽  
Total Allowable Catch ◽  
Individual Transferable Quotas ◽  
Near Future

Abstract Even if there is fluctuation in fish species diversity and relative abundance of the species, Lake Ziway provides numerous environmental and/or ecosystem services. Despite to its importance, the Lake faces numerous threats because of its public good characteristics. Following the exponentially increased demand for fishes and the resource being public good, magnificent number of individuals are participated in capture fisheries in order to secure their livelihood. Free access to the fisheries, illegal fishing gears and environmental degradation are among the main reasons of decline in fish species and degradation of the Lake. From the current stock assessment survey, the study showed decline in biomass of fish over time. These negative trends in the Lake Ziway fisheries and poor water quality led to loss of livelihoods of many households who are directly or indirectly dependent on the Lake. Therefore, management of Lake Ziway fishery becomes very essential to manage the resource efficiently in a way that maximize fishers present and future benefits otherwise, the fish resource will disappear in the near future. Concerning management practices, most of the fishery regulations in this Lake put emphasis on the restriction of fishing gear, but the application of this instrument with its restrictions is almost zero. Moreover, Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs) foster greater transparency and accountability for the management and enhancement of fishery resources by quota owners. In this regard, since it generates a sense of ownership and its versatility in providing a stable and productive market, ITQs are more effective than gear restrictions and in fact, it has major social benefits by controlling overharvesting. Due to this, to ensure the nutritional and food security of the country currently and in the near future, there is a need to enforce fishing gear restriction and set ITQs. Furthermore, there must be strong effort on studying the current stock of fish, and numbers of legal and illegal fishers to set Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs) and Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for sustainable fishery management of Lake Ziway.

scholarly journals Flexibility of joint production in mixed fisheries and implications for management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florence Briton ◽  
Olivier Thébaud ◽  
Claire Macher ◽  
Caleb Gardner ◽  
Lorne Richard Little
Keyword(s):  
Economic Performance ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
Joint Production ◽  
Total Allowable Catch ◽  
Individual Transferable Quotas ◽  
The Past ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Commercial Species ◽  
Management Recommendations ◽  
Production Problems

Abstract Over the past decade, efforts have been made to factor technical interactions into management recommendations for mixed fisheries. Yet, the dynamics underlying joint production in mixed fisheries are generally poorly captured in operational mixed fisheries models supporting total allowable catch advice. Using an integrated ecological–economic simulation model, we explore the extent to which fishers are likely to alter the species composition of their landings in a mixed fishery managed with individual transferable quotas, the Australian Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery. Our simulations capture three different types of joint production problems, highlighting the flexibility that exists in terms of achievable catch compositions when quota markets provide the economic incentives to adapt fishing practices to quota availability. These results highlight the importance of capturing the drivers of fishing choices when advising TAC decisions in mixed fisheries. We also identify a hierarchy of species in this fishery, with harvest targets set for primary commercial species determining most of its socio-economic performance.

scholarly journals From Safety Net to Point of No Return—Are Small-Scale Inland Fisheries Reaching Their Limits?

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7299
Author(s):  
Pina Lena Lammers ◽  
Torsten Richter ◽  
Jasmin Mantilla-Contreras
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Fishery Management ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Current Function ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Inland Fisheries ◽  
Point Of No Return ◽  
Agricultural Yields ◽  
Near Future

Small-scale inland fisheries (SSIF) are a livelihood opportunity for millions of people in developing countries. Understanding the economic, ecological, political and social impacts fishers are coping with can clarify weaknesses and challenges in the fishery management. Using the SSIF at Lake Alaotra, Madagascar, as an example, we analyzed the development and fishers’ perception of, and adaptation strategies to, change. We surveyed fish catches to assess the state of fish stocks and conducted interviews to understand fishers’ livelihood, problems, behavior and attitudes. Our results show that the fishery sector of Lake Alaotra has grown dramatically although fish catches have fallen sharply. Changes in species composition and low reproduction rates reflect the fishing pressure. A point of no return seems near, as decreasing agricultural yields force farmers to enter the fishery sector as a form of livelihood diversification. Lake Alaotra reflects an alarming trend which can already be seen in many regions of the world and may affect a growing number in the near future. The Alaotran fisheries demonstrate that SSIF’s ability to provide livelihood alternatives under conditions of insecurity will become increasingly important. It further highlights that the identification of ongoing livelihood dynamics in order to disclose possible poverty trap mechanisms and to understand fisheries’ current function is essential for sustainable management.

scholarly journals Flawed evidence supporting the Metabolic Theory of Ecology may undermine goals of ecosystem-based fishery management: the case of invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish in the western Atlantic

2016 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 1256-1267
Author(s):  
Diego Valderrama ◽  
KathrynAnn H. Fields
Keyword(s):  
Fishery Management ◽  
Environmental Temperature ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Fish Mortality ◽  
Natural Mortality ◽  
Metabolic Theory ◽  
Prey Fish ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Metabolic Theory Of Ecology

Given its ability to yield predictions for very diverse phenomena based only on two parameters—body size and temperature—the Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE) has earned a prominent place among ecology’s efficient theories. In a seminal article, the leading proponents of the MTE claimed that the theory was supported by evidence from Pauly’s (On the interrelationships between natural mortality, growth parameters, and mean environmental temperature in 175 fish stocks. Journal Du Conseil International Pour L’Exploration de la mer 39:175–192) dataset on natural mortality, biomass, and environmental temperature for 175 fish stocks spanning tropical, temperate, and polar locations. We demonstrate that the evidence presented by the proponents of the MTE is flawed because it fails to account for the fact that Pauly re-estimated environmental temperatures for polar fish as ‘physiologically effective temperatures’ to correct for their ‘abnormally’ high natural (mass-corrected) mortalities, which on average turned out to be similar to (rather than lower than) the mortalities recorded for temperate fish. Failing to account for these modifications skews the coefficients from MTE regression models and wrongly validates predictions from the theory. It is important to point out these deficiencies given the broad appeal of the MTE as a theoretical framework for applied ecological research. In a recent application, the MTE was used to estimate biomass production rates of prey fish in a model of invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) predation in Bahamian reefs. We show that the MTE coefficients may lead to a drastic overestimation of prey fish mortality and productivity rates, leading to erroneous estimations of target densities for ecological control of lionfish stocks. A set of robust mortality-weight coefficients is proposed as an alternative to the MTE.

scholarly journals Ecological Reference Points for Atlantic Menhaden Established Using an Ecosystem Model of Intermediate Complexity

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Chagaris ◽  
Katie Drew ◽  
Amy Schueller ◽  
Matt Cieri ◽  
Joana Brito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
Fishery Management ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Reference Points ◽  
Atlantic Menhaden ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Total Allowable Catch ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Ecosystem Impacts ◽  
Intermediate Complexity

Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) are an important forage fish for many predators, and they also support the largest commercial fishery by weight on the U.S. East Coast. Menhaden management has been working toward ecological reference points (ERPs) that account for menhaden’s role in the ecosystem. The goal of this work was to develop menhaden ERPs using ecosystem models. An existing Ecopath with Ecosim model of the Northwest Atlantic Continental Shelf (NWACS) was reduced in complexity from 61 to 17 species/functional groups. The new NWACS model of intermediate complexity for ecosystems (NWACS-MICE) serves to link the dynamics of menhaden with key managed predators. Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) were determined to be most sensitive to menhaden harvest and therefore served as an indicator of ecosystem impacts. ERPs were based on the tradeoff relationship between the equilibrium biomass of striped bass and menhaden fishing mortality (F). The ERPs were defined as the menhaden F rates that maintain striped bass at their biomass target and threshold when striped bass are fished at their Ftarget, and all other modeled species were fished at status quo levels. These correspond to an ERP Ftarget of 0.19 and an ERP Fthreshold of 0.57, which are lower than the single species reference points by 30–40%, but higher than current (2017) menhaden F. The ERPs were then fed back into the age-structured stock assessment model projections to provide information on total allowable catch. The ERPs developed in this study were adopted by the Atlantic menhaden Management Board, marking a shift toward ecosystem-based fishery management for this economically and ecologically important species.

scholarly journals Understanding Barriers in Indian Ocean Tuna Commission Allocation Negotiations on Fishing Opportunities

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6665
Author(s):  
Hussain Sinan ◽  
Megan Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Willingness To Accept ◽  
Total Allowable Catch ◽  
New Members ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Allocation Process ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Equitable Allocation ◽  
Regional Fisheries Management Organizations

Tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) have been given an arduous mandate under the legal framework of the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement. Member states with different interests and objectives are required to cooperate and collaborate on the conservation and management of tuna and tuna-like species, which includes the allocation of fishing opportunities. It is well understood that the main RFMO allocation disagreements are the inability to agree on a total allowable catch, the lack of willingness to accept new members, disagreement on who should bear the conservation burden, and non-compliance with national allocations owning to perceived inequities. Addressing these elements is crucial for any organization if it is to sustain its credibility stability and legitimacy. This paper identifies additional barriers facing an equitable allocation process at the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). These challenges are multi-faceted and include institutional, political, and scientific barriers in the ongoing allocation negotiations, and further inhibit effective negotiation and resolution adoption as a whole. After almost 10 years of negotiations, the process has progressed little, and without agreement on these barriers it will be a challenge to adopt a stable systematic allocation process.

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