“Yesterday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries (NOAA Fisheries) overrode opposition from many fishermen and others and relied on a highly questionable referendum to approve an unfair and potentially harmful plan for managing the Gulf of Mexico’s tilefish and grouper fisheries. The plan, known as ‘Individual Fishing Quotas’ (IFQs) or ‘catch shares,’ determines who is allowed to fish, and how much, based on ‘catch history,’ or how much an individual or business has caught in the past. This method inherently favors those who fish the hardest and fastest and squeezes out many smaller-scale and historic fishermen. Worst of all, the process by which the plan was created and approved was biased and unfair. The Gulf’s Fishery Management Council held a sham referendum on the plan in which eligibility for voting was skewed to exclude nearly 70 percent of fishermen whose jobs were at stake if the plan passed.

 “This spring, Food & Water Watch conducted its own re-referendum surveying the fishermen who were excluded from the initial vote, and found that the nearly 90 percent opposed the plan. Had these fishermen been included in the initial vote, it is questionable whether the plan would have passed. Still, NOAA Fisheries has proceeded to approve the plan seemingly without regard for this clear opposition and the risk of massive job loss.

“The plan could be destructive not only economically, but environmentally, too. While proponents may claim catch share programs work for conservation, often they do not—and this plan, especially, is problematic. The plan allocates big portions of the annual allowed catch based on historical catches using longline gear. Last year, studies found that longlines in the Gulf have been catching too many threatened loggerhead sea turtles as bycatch—at a rate nearly ten times higher than permitted. It is unlikely that longlines will continue to be allowed in the Gulf long term due to such turtle interactions. Most fishermen that use other gear types such as hook-and-line received fewer catch shares—meaning that the plan rewards longline usage, while penalizing many fishermen whose catch methods may have fewer negative effects on the Gulf.

“The catch share plan that has been approved for Gulf tilefish and grouper will essentially privatize the fisheries, simply handing control—and thus, the bulk of all profits—to a small handful of people and businesses. The Gulf of Mexico and the U.S. as a whole need fishery management solutions that truly come from within the community, keep public resources public, and work to promote long-term widespread social, economic, and environmental benefits. Sadly, this Gulf catch share plan falls far short.”

(Food & Water Watch, 01/09/2009)