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• 1. [Article] Prospects for Management Reform in Gulf of Mexico Recreational Fisheries

  Recreational fishing for popular species like red snapper and grouper in the Gulf of Mexico follows a pattern that is well known in commercial fisheries: fishing under regulated open access promotes short, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Prospects for Management Reform in Gulf of Mexico Recreational Fisheries Author: Willard, Daniel, Abbott, Joshua K. Recreational fishing for popular species like red snapper and grouper in the Gulf of Mexico follows a pattern that is well known in commercial fisheries: fishing under regulated open access promotes short, unpredictable seasons, shrinking bag limits, and large and persistent overharvests. With federal fishing seasons at all-time lows and conflicts increasing between state and federal regulators, anglers are losing fishing opportunities and many in the Gulf’s for-hire industry struggle to operate viable businesses. Red snapper is in the spotlight, but many overfished species are on the same path. Gulf of Mexico commercial fisheries rationalization has promoted economic benefits and accountability to annual catch limits, but most recreational fisheries are managed under regulated open access with relatively poor catch accounting. For many reef fish species, recreational fishing represents over half of total fishing mortality. Yet innovation in recreational management reform is lagging, in part because regulators’ attention is diverted to contentious policy issues such as sector allocations. This talk reviews policy challenges in mixed-use fisheries, such as sector and sub-sector allocation disputes, the state of for-hire and private recreational fisheries management, and prospects for rights-based management reform in mixed use fisheries. We also introduce the Gulf Headboat Collaborative, an affiliation of headboat operators who are testing rights-based management in Gulf of Mexico recreational fisheries through an experimental fishing permit (EFP). This two-year pilot program represents cooperation between industry, government, academia, and the NGO community, providing a unique opportunity for empirical evaluation and an innovative model for adaptive fisheries management. Title: Prospects for Management Reform in Gulf of Mexico Recreational Fisheries Author: Willard, Daniel, Abbott, Joshua K. Recreational fishing for popular species like red snapper and grouper in the Gulf of Mexico follows a pattern that is well known in commercial fisheries: fishing under regulated open access promotes short, unpredictable seasons, shrinking bag limits, and large and persistent overharvests. With federal fishing seasons at all-time lows and conflicts increasing between state and federal regulators, anglers are losing fishing opportunities and many in the Gulf’s for-hire industry struggle to operate viable businesses. Red snapper is in the spotlight, but many overfished species are on the same path. Gulf of Mexico commercial fisheries rationalization has promoted economic benefits and accountability to annual catch limits, but most recreational fisheries are managed under regulated open access with relatively poor catch accounting. For many reef fish species, recreational fishing represents over half of total fishing mortality. Yet innovation in recreational management reform is lagging, in part because regulators’ attention is diverted to contentious policy issues such as sector allocations. This talk reviews policy challenges in mixed-use fisheries, such as sector and sub-sector allocation disputes, the state of for-hire and private recreational fisheries management, and prospects for rights-based management reform in mixed use fisheries. We also introduce the Gulf Headboat Collaborative, an affiliation of headboat operators who are testing rights-based management in Gulf of Mexico recreational fisheries through an experimental fishing permit (EFP). This two-year pilot program represents cooperation between industry, government, academia, and the NGO community, providing a unique opportunity for empirical evaluation and an innovative model for adaptive fisheries management. Close

• 2. [Article] Evaluating an Experimental Catch Shares Program for Gulf of Mexico Headboats: Year One

  Recreational fishing for popular species like red snapper and grouper in the Gulf of Mexico has followed a familiar pattern to that observed in many commercial fisheries: fishing under regulated open access ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Evaluating an Experimental Catch Shares Program for Gulf of Mexico Headboats: Year One Author: Willard, Daniel, Abbott, Joshua K. Recreational fishing for popular species like red snapper and grouper in the Gulf of Mexico has followed a familiar pattern to that observed in many commercial fisheries: fishing under regulated open access has promoted a “race to the fish” with cascades of shorter seasons, shrinking bag limits, and significant fishery discards. These restrictions may have significant effects on angler welfare – misallocating fish from those with high valuations to those able to fish during the “derby” – and have also made it difficult for vessel owners in the for-hire recreational fishery (e.g., charter and headboats) to sustain viable, year-round businesses. In this atmosphere, Environmental Defense Fund has worked with an affiliation of headboat operators, the Gulf Headboat Collaborative (GHC), to obtain an experimental fishing permit (EFP) from NOAA Fisheries to pilot a headboat catch share (effectively a cooperative) program. Operating under strict catch limits and electronic data reporting requirements, this EFP authorizes up to 20 headboat operators to fish for a limited allocation of red snapper and gag grouper when it is best for their businesses and safest for their customers, instead of being constrained by short and unpredictable season openings. This talk synthesizes data from headboat logbooks (for both GHC and non-GHC vessels) and surveys of headboat owners and passengers to examine the performance of this policy experiment after its first year. Wherever possible we draw upon program evaluation methods to rigorously analyze the effects of the program on number and distribution of fishing trips, revenues and profits of GHC participants. Title: Evaluating an Experimental Catch Shares Program for Gulf of Mexico Headboats: Year One Author: Willard, Daniel, Abbott, Joshua K. Recreational fishing for popular species like red snapper and grouper in the Gulf of Mexico has followed a familiar pattern to that observed in many commercial fisheries: fishing under regulated open access has promoted a “race to the fish” with cascades of shorter seasons, shrinking bag limits, and significant fishery discards. These restrictions may have significant effects on angler welfare – misallocating fish from those with high valuations to those able to fish during the “derby” – and have also made it difficult for vessel owners in the for-hire recreational fishery (e.g., charter and headboats) to sustain viable, year-round businesses. In this atmosphere, Environmental Defense Fund has worked with an affiliation of headboat operators, the Gulf Headboat Collaborative (GHC), to obtain an experimental fishing permit (EFP) from NOAA Fisheries to pilot a headboat catch share (effectively a cooperative) program. Operating under strict catch limits and electronic data reporting requirements, this EFP authorizes up to 20 headboat operators to fish for a limited allocation of red snapper and gag grouper when it is best for their businesses and safest for their customers, instead of being constrained by short and unpredictable season openings. This talk synthesizes data from headboat logbooks (for both GHC and non-GHC vessels) and surveys of headboat owners and passengers to examine the performance of this policy experiment after its first year. Wherever possible we draw upon program evaluation methods to rigorously analyze the effects of the program on number and distribution of fishing trips, revenues and profits of GHC participants. Close