Evaluating the Economic Performance of U.S. Catch Share Programs

Catch shares is a general term to describe fishery management programs that dedicate a secure share of fish to individual fishermen, cooperatives or fishing communities for their exclusive use. These programs have been in existence for more than 20 years in the United States. NOAA Fisheries recently began a systematic collection of performance indicators for U.S. Catch Share Programs. Data collected include catch and landings, revenue and effort data from 13 U.S. Catch Share fisheries. While each of the Catch Share Fisheries are unique and operate under very different management plans, there are some similarities that can be drawn. Some effort measures (active vessels, entities holding share) initially decrease, but stabilize after a few years of operation. Revenue per vessel initially increases, but then levels off. Select indicators will be discussed from various catch share programs, which may include the Surf Clam Ocean Quahog, Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper, Gulf of Mexico Grouper-Tilefish, Mid-Atlantic Golden Tilefish, and Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Catch Share Programs.