The non-profit Meridian Institute and the consulting firm MRAG Americas have produced the report "Catch Shares in New England: Key Questions and Lessons Learned from Existing Programs".
Several key lessons can be drawn for the New England groundfish fishery as it transitions to sector management and for other fisheries in the region considering a transition to catch shares. In general, the most important is to allow ample time for planning. Often fisheries are in crisis when the transition to catch shares occurs and, as in the Australian southeast trawl fishery, implementation occurs prior to addressing all of the important details. Amendments can be made and regulations changed, but the initial response and effectiveness of the program will set the tone for future success or failure. Unfortunately, legal mandates will often constrain the time available for thoughtful planning.
Conclusions:
When deciding on initial allocation, the least controversial method for stakeholders appears to be use of a neutral party to determine the allocation formula. Limiting transfers of the initial allocation, especially in the early years of a program, may also be beneficial, as it can preserve the small boat fleet while allowing the program to gain momentum without rapid and excessive consolidation.
There are benefits to setting aside a portion of the TAC for adaptive management, cooperative research, community preservation, and future entrants into the fishery.
Keeping a certain amount of the TAC within a community helps protect jobs and fishing-related infrastructure.
Buybacks, used previously in New England, can be an effective method for reducing capacity prior to the implementation of a program by allowing fishermen an appealing exit strategy from the fishery.
Finally, a strong appeals process created at the outset can contribute greatly to engendering trust. If fishermen believe there is an effective mechanism to voice their opinions and file appeals, it may avoid costly lawsuits down the road.
For many fisheries, an explicit geographic focus and policies to preserve traditional fishing communities and fishing practices can contribute to the success of catch shares programs. When fishermen know the other fishermen in the program as neighbors and friends, they are more likely to abide by rules that will benefit everyone.
The challenge for decision makers is to define community and distribute benefits to those entities in a manner that reduces, rather than increases, conflict.
Costs must be carefully watched as a program designed with high levels of monitoring and extensive administration could fail in future years
Finally, catch shares programs need effective methods and forums for collaboration among the key parties and for gathering information and disseminating it back to fishermen in useful ways. Fishermen are more likely to be supportive of management if they have been meaningfully included in decision making processes and can clearly see the positive results of their data submission requirements.
See the entire report from the Meridian Institute here [pdf file]