New CAFS Report Analyzes Catch Share Programs in U.S. Fisheries

The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) at Vermont Law and Graduate School has released a new report, “Fair Shares? An Analysis of Catch Share Programs in the U.S.,” examining how catch share programs are designed and implemented across U.S. fisheries.

In the U.S., Regional Fishery Management Councils manage fisheries by determining an acceptable amount of catch per year. In some cases, these councils then divide that annual catch limit into shares to allocate to individual fishermen or entities. Catch share programs are often promoted as a solution to overfishing; the report discusses some of the challenges in their implementation. These challenges include limited transparency that can hinder oversight and accountability, the treatment of shares as de facto private property despite their legal status as a public resource, and the consolidation of shares over time, which can create barriers for small-scale and new fishermen and hinder economic development in coastal communities.

To illustrate these challenges, the report profiles four U.S. fisheries with distinct catch share programs: the Mid-Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog fishery, the Gulf Reef Fish fishery, the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) fishery, and the North Pacific Halibut and Sablefish fishery. The report also highlights opportunities to better align these programs with the ten national standards set by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which includes ensuring allocations are fair and minimizing negative impacts on fishing communities.

The report was written in consultation with the North American Marine Alliance and published as part of CAFS’s Seafood Law and Policy Project, which examines the laws and regulations that govern the wild-caught and aquaculture seafood industries.