‘Catch Shares’ Articles
CCA recently asked the Gulf state governors to voice their concerns over a rapidly expanding federal program for managing fisheries called a catch-share program, and Gov. Perry of Texas, Gov. Jindal of Louisiana, Gov. Barbour of Mississippi and Gov. Riley of Alabama responded by signing a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke. The letter signed by the governors was a powerful gesture on behalf of recreational anglers. Click HERE to see how recreational anglers have responded with an outpouring of appreciation for the leadership shown by the Gulf governors.
Tags: Catch Shares, Gulf governors
Posted in Catch Shares | No Comments »
States unite to request feds better protect citizens’ access to public resources
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, the governors of four Gulf States have outlined their concerns over the potential negative impacts of catch share programs on their states’ economies and how such programs could restrict citizens’ access to fisheries resources that should be shared by all. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley all signed on to the effort coordinated by Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) and the Center for Coastal Conservation (Center) to find a better system to balance the needs of the public.
“We have already seen the negative impacts from the Gulf red snapper catch share system and are concerned about negative impacts from the pending program for Gulf grouper,” the governors’ letter stated. “Creating an exclusive harvesting right for a small group of commercial fishermen inherently marginalizes other users who do not have the same access privileges. In purely commercial fisheries this effect can have both economic and management benefits. But when applied in mixed-use fisheries, recreational anglers are forced to focus their efforts in limited state waters or not participate in the fishery at all. Neither of these outcomes is desirable.”
Center for Coastal Conservation President Jeff Angers said, “This show of unity by the Gulf governors in federal fisheries management highlights growing concern that catch share programs that award fixed percentages of various fisheries to commercial fishers are a threat to the future of recreational angling and to the $24 billion it generates annually for the economies of the five Gulf States.”
“Recreational fishing is an important activity in all of our states, and one that we would like to see continue to grow as a healthy activity for the public. However, we are concerned that NOAA policies could frustrate our ability to do that,” the governors’ letter to Locke said.
CCA has filed a lawsuit in federal district court challenging the adoption and implementation of Amendment 29 to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Management Plan that gives away a majority share of Gulf grouper to the commercial fishing industry through a catch share program. The Obama Administration has made implementation of catch share programs in federal fisheries a priority, and both CCA and the Center have been working at the state and federal level to oppose their use in fisheries that have a large and growing recreational component.
“Catch shares are a huge concern for recreational anglers, and the governors of the Gulf States obviously share those concerns,” said Patrick Murray, CCA executive vice president. “We are extremely grateful to these elected officials for taking such an extraordinary step to raise the visibility of this issue and protect their citizens’ access to public marine resources.”
Click HERE for a copy of the letter from the Gulf governors to Sec. Locke.
Tags: catch share, Gulf governors
Posted in CCA Gulf of Mexico, Catch Shares | No Comments »
Angler concerns over catch shares, aquaculture gaining traction
The pace and breadth of federal oceans and fisheries policies have caused apprehension in the angling community in recent months, but a pair of amendments to a Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill filed by Sen. David Vitter (R-La) last week signals that some elected officials are concerned as well. The amendments, proposed as part of spending bill HR 2847, would force the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration to do new analyses of offshore fish farming and catch-share programs in federal fisheries.
“Coastal states are better stewards of fishery resources than the National Marine Fisheries Service. If catch shares are to be applied to mixed fisheries off Louisiana, then Louisianans should be able to protect our access to public fishery resources by having some level of input ‑ or at least an idea of how NMFS plans on resolving fishery allocation disputes and what forms of management and data collection will be utilized,” Sen. Vitter said. “In regards to aquaculture practices, I find it unacceptable that the Obama administration is looking at issuing permits for offshore aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico without any idea as to the form of regulation they intend to use to prevent adverse environmental impacts and the escape of fin-fish species. The protection and development of Louisiana’s marine resources are something I take very seriously, and I’m very concerned about where the administration is going to be landing on these issues.”
One of the amendments would block any offshore aquaculture permits until the Department of Commerce completes a new assessment of how aquaculture will be regulated to prevent environmental damage, while the other calls for a report on how catch share programs propose to collect data on commercial and recreational fishers and resolve allocation disparities between the two sectors.
“CCA was honored to host Sen. Vitter at meetings in Texas and Louisiana recently to discuss many issues that are important to recreational anglers and we are encouraged by these amendments,” said Patrick Murray, CCA executive vice president. “Anglers have felt for some time that the new Administration is not overly concerned about the impacts some of its proposed programs and policies could have on the recreational angling community. Sen. Vitter understands how important these issues are to us and we look forward to working with him on marine issues in the future.”
Tags: Catch Shares, Gulf of Mexico
Posted in Catch Shares | No Comments »
“Fundamentally flawed” catch share program a threat to angling
HOUSTON, TX – Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) has filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Fort Myers, Florida, challenging the adoption and implementation of Amendment 29 to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Management Plan approved by United States Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke on August 30. Amendment 29 gives away a majority share of Gulf grouper to the commercial fishing industry through a catch share program.
“CCA has stated from the beginning that this management action is fundamentally flawed,” said Chester Brewer, chairman of the CCA National Government Relations Committee. “In moving forward with Amendment 29, the federal government has disregarded the multiple provisions in the Magnuson Stevens Act designed to govern the impacts of such action on other participants in the fishery. The only ones considered in this amendment are the commercial fishermen.”
Catch share systems bestow a percentage of a public fishery resource to a select group of commercial fishermen, based on their catch history, to harvest for their own personal gain. The commercial entities pay nothing back to the public for the permanent property right to harvest a public resource, but catch share systems are nonetheless being emphasized in federal fisheries as a way to reduce overcapacity and improve economic efficiency in the commercial sector. CCA has contended that in fisheries where there is a large and growing recreational sector, exclusive fishing rights proposals maximize benefits to the commercial fishing industry while ignoring the participation and beneficial economic impacts of recreational fishing.
“In more than 30 years of practice in fisheries law, I have not seen a more arbitrary action than this one,” said Robert G. Hayes, CCA general counsel. CCA has asked for an expedited hearing and expects the government to answer the lawsuit within the next 60 days. “We are going to proceed as quickly as the court will allow to prevent the implementation of this egregious decision.”
Click HERE to see official comments CCA submitted to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council on Amendment 29 in June 2009.
Tags: Amendment 29, catch share, Gulf grouper
Posted in CCA Gulf of Mexico, Catch Shares | No Comments »
Approval of grouper giveaway pushes recreational anglers to the brink
United States Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke has approved Amendment 29 to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Management Plan, giving away a majority share of Gulf grouper to the commercial fishing industry in spite of vigorous opposition from Coastal Conservation Association (CCA). CCA had delineated several fatal flaws contained within Amendment 29, including its failure to comply with federal law, its myopic focus on the commercial sector and the complete exclusion of recreational concerns, and its disregard for recent critical developments within the commercial sector itself.
“This Amendment fails first and foremost because there is no consideration of any component of the fishery other than the directed commercial fishermen and their related infrastructure,” said Matthew Paxton, CCA federal lobbyist. “The entire process assumes participation only by the commercial industry without any basis for such determination.”
CCA cited three specific recent developments that cast considerable doubt on the decision process leading up to this amendment and its future viability: the discovery of a high bycatch of listed sea turtles by bottom longliners in the grouper fishery; a new gag grouper assessment which could trigger a significant reduction in the allowed harvest in the fishery, and the emerging economic analyses on the contribution of the recreational angling sector to the economies of Gulf states.
“This amendment should have been rejected by the Secretary and returned to the Gulf Council for further consideration. The interim allocation in Amendment 29 was developed without supplying the economic impact analysis that is required by federal law,” said Chester Brewer, chairman of CCA’s National Government Relations Committee. “By allowing this amendment to proceed, federal managers have all but declared that recreational angling is not relevant to them and that sets a dangerous precedent for this new Administration. This failure to adhere to commonly accepted practices of good policy formation leaves us no choice but to pursue every means available to reverse this decision.”
Click here for CCA’s official comments submitted on Amendment 29 to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Management Plan.
Tags: Amendment 29, catch share, Gulf grouper
Posted in CCA Gulf of Mexico, Catch Shares | No Comments »
