Enforcing the rules of marine issues

Question 1

Methods

Answer 1

Artificially limits fish being caught

1. Catch-control
2. Individual quotas
3. Catch quota
4. Effort control
5. Technical measures

Question 2

Catch-control

Answer 2

Limits total allowable catches - biologically good and based on sound evidence
Economically poor idea, as fishermen race to max their share of the limits

Question 3

Individual quotas

Answer 3

Limiting individual boats - all adds up the catch control limit
• Their quotas can be traded for more of something and less of another
• Fishermen have ‘property rights’
• Difficult at first because everyone wants
• Can increase by bycatch and discards

Question 4

Catch quota

Answer 4

Overcomes discards and bycatch problems of previous
• Counted what they caught and not what landed - discards from 30-40% to 0.2%
• But a complete ban could be harmful for wider wildlife that now rely on this, like seabirds and mammals etc.
-consequences unless done carefully

Question 5

Effort control

Answer 5

Limits boats, fishers, gear they use and the power etc.
• To reduce catch power
• Less effective than catch control

Question 6

Technical measures

Answer 6

• Restrict size/sex and facilitate gear changes towards this
• Increase mesh size (smaller can get away)
• Restrict times and areas available to avoid breeding areas

Question 7

Problems with enforcing the rules…

Answer 7

• All species specific, and fishing effects entire ecosystems
• Data hungry techniques - can be difficult to obtain
• Enforcing can be difficult

Question 8

Example

Answer 8

Common fisheries policy - Eu since 1970s
• Eu fish is a common resource
• Quotas at national level
• Problem with this historically has been ineffective in stopping declines (last 10yrs good though)
• Politicians can ignore scientists advice (Rays - Vendables)
• Quotas of Eu is 20% higher than it should be
• Fishing mortality often increases, even though stocks are declining
-Eu Hake - recommended catch is at 0 - but they allow 10,000tonnes - landings massively exceeding this

Question 9

Naive model

Answer 9

Fishers -> Data -> Scientists -> Managers -> ‘effective management’
How it actually works…
• Fisheries are multi-species
• Conflicting goals and multiple stakeholders
• No optimal solution

Question 10

Objectives of management from different fields

Answer 10

Biological - protect habitat and rebuild stocks
Economic - maximise income, keep prices low
Social - max protein supply and employment
Political - raise government revenue, reduce conflicts

Question 11

Management approaches

Answer 11

Top-down enforcement (like common fisheries policy) - groups together and sorts plan
Community-driven management ‘bottom-up’, works for small scales
E.g. territorial user rights for Fisheries established for artisanal fishers in Chile
-fishers exploit and police own area
-this increased targeted benthic species and reef fishes
-solving people problems with positive biodiversity effects