Revisiting Parametric Management: Opportunities and Challenges for EBFM

Parametric decisions in fisheries management, e.g., where, when, and with what gear, may be as or even more important than quantitative decisions (e.g., quotas, escapement goals). This is especially true in multiple-stakeholder fisheries, where different groups use different gear types or fish in different areas, and each with different ecological impacts. A challenge for parametric management, however, is that changes to these details can result in allocative changes—that is, banning a specific gear type or fishing area will impact one group’s catch more than others. As such, these management actions are often considered to be more “political” than “scientific”, despite being driven by legitimate ecological concerns. In this paper, I discuss two ongoing cases where parametric aspects of fisheries are being contested: salmon fisheries of Cook Inlet, Alaska, and herring roe fisheries of the Northeast Pacific, specifically near Haida Gwaii. I discuss the local debates over the ecological and/or social appropriateness of certain fishing methods therein. I then conclude with a framework for understanding and perhaps even avoiding the ethical and social well-being implications that parametric management, while necessary, can have on local people and communities.