Catch Shares In Belize: How Do They Work?

Catch shares are a general term for several fishery management strategies that allocate a specific portion of the total allowable catch to individuals, communities, or associations for their exclusive use. Catch share programs generally fall into two categories: quota-based programs and area-based programs. In Belize, catch shares have helped create healthier oceans that support more fish, feed more people, and improve livelihoods.

How catch shares incentivise sustainable fishing

Catch shares incentivise sustainable fishing by providing long-term secure privileges to participants. This gives them an incentive to practice efficient and sustainable fishing methods. Catch share programs can be categorised into two types: quota-based programs and area-based programs.

Quota-based programs, such as individual transferable quotas (ITQs), establish a fishery-wide catch limit and assign portions (or shares) of the catch to participants. Each participant must stop fishing when they reach their limit. This makes participants directly accountable for staying within the catch limit.

Area-based programs, such as territorial use rights for fishing (TURFs), allocate a secure and exclusive area to participants, with appropriate controls on fishing mortality to ensure the long-term sustainability of the stock.

Catch share programs can provide many benefits, including:

• Eliminating the race to fish
• Reducing the likelihood of exceeding annual catch limits
• Reducing the costs of producing seafood
• Reducing market gluts and increasing dockside prices
• Extending fishing seasons
• Improving fishermen's safety

In Belize, catch shares have helped to create healthier oceans that support more fish, feed more people, and improve livelihoods.

Types of catch share programs

Catch share programs typically fall into two categories: quota-based programs and area-based programs.

Quota-based programs

Quota-based programs, such as individual transferable quotas (ITQs), establish a fishery-wide catch limit and assign portions (or shares) of the catch to participants. Participants are directly accountable for staying within their allocated quota. This type of program provides an incentive for efficient and sustainable fishing practices, as the value of the share is tied to the health of the fishery.

Area-based programs

Area-based programs, such as territorial use rights for fishing (TURFs), allocate a secure and exclusive area for participants to fish. These programs include controls on fishing mortality to ensure the long-term sustainability of the stock. This approach grants participants the exclusive privilege to fish in a designated area, promoting efficient resource use.

A combination of both quota- and area-based approaches is also possible, offering a flexible framework for fishery management.

Other types of catch share programs

In addition to the two main categories, there are other variations of catch share programs:

• Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQs): Allocated to individuals, cooperatives, communities, or other entities, IFQs specify a set amount of fish that can be caught. Recipients must not exceed their allocation.
• Limited Access Privilege Programs (LAPPs): These programs provide exclusive access to fishery resources, addressing the challenges of common property resources.
• Sectors or cooperatives: This approach encourages collaboration among fishermen, promoting efficient fishing practices and sustainable resource management.
• Dedicated Access Privileges (DAPs): DAPs grant participants secure and exclusive access to fishery resources, fostering long-term stewardship of the marine environment.

Benefits of catch share programs

Catch share programs are a type of fishery management strategy that allocates a specific portion of the total allowable catch to individual fishermen, cooperatives, or fishing communities. These programs provide many benefits, including:

Sustainability and Fish Population Recovery

By giving fishermen a secure share of the catch, catch share programs incentivize sustainable fishing practices. Fishermen are motivated to become stewards of their oceans and adhere to strict limits that allow fish populations to recover. This long-term ownership stake in the fishery increases in value as the fishery regains health, incentivizing fishermen to prioritize the sustainability of their resource.

Eliminating the Race to Fish

Traditional fishery management encourages a "race-to-fish" mentality, where fishermen are incentivized to catch as many fish as possible, as quickly as possible. Catch share programs eliminate this mentality by providing fishermen with a guaranteed allocation. This allows fishermen to plan their trips effectively, fish according to market demands, and stay ashore when conditions are unsafe.

Reduced Bycatch and Environmental Impact

With catch share programs, fishermen have the time and incentive to improve their fishing methods, selectively deploy their gear, and avoid sensitive habitats. This results in a significant reduction in bycatch, which includes non-target fish, dolphins, turtles, and other marine species that are unintentionally caught and discarded. Additionally, the reduction in "ghost gear" (lost fishing equipment) further decreases the environmental impact of fishing activities.

Improved Fishermen Safety

By removing the pressure to race to fish, catch share programs improve the safety of fishermen. They can make more careful decisions, avoid unsafe conditions, and extend their fishing seasons, reducing the need to take risks during unfavourable weather or market conditions.

Economic Benefits

Catch share programs can reduce the costs of producing seafood, increase dockside prices, and provide economic incentives for fishermen and fishing cooperatives to adopt sustainable practices. Fishermen can maximize their profits by buying and selling shares, allowing them to align their business and conservation goals.

History of catch share programs

Catch share programs have been used for many years, with similar management systems providing secure and exclusive access to fishery resources. Community-based management in Japan's near-shore fisheries, for example, dates back to feudal times. However, the modern individually-allocated catch share programs were first implemented by the state of Wisconsin in the early 1970s for important fish stocks in the Great Lakes. Catch share programs generally fall into two categories: quota-based programs and area-based programs.

The use of catch share programs has expanded since their earliest implementations in the 1970s. Catch share programs have been proposed as a solution to the common property challenges found in many fisheries. Fisheries have historically been treated as a common property resource, which can lead to excessive competition and overfishing.

The state of Wisconsin implemented the first modern catch share program in the early 1970s for important fish stocks in the Great Lakes. This was soon followed by Iceland and the Netherlands, who implemented catch shares for important stocks in the late 1970s.

In the 21st century, the United States implemented the vast majority of its catch share programs. In 2010, catch shares were introduced in the Northeast Multispecies fishery and the Atlantic Sea Scallop fishery. A year later, in 2011, a catch share program was implemented in the Pacific Coast Groundfish Limited Entry Trawl fishery, which included fishermen from Washington, Oregon, and California.

Today, there are nearly 200 catch share programs worldwide, used in 40 countries, to manage a wide array of marine and freshwater species. Some countries, such as Iceland, New Zealand, and Australia, have made catch share programs their default management system.

Criticisms of catch share programs

Catch share programs have been criticised for their potential negative impact on local economies and communities. For instance, the consolidation of fishing permits has led to fewer fishermen controlling more of the resource, as well as blocking new fishermen from entering the fishery. This can result in increased unemployment, economic contraction of coastal communities, and economic losses for businesses that rely on the fishing fleet.

In addition, catch share programs can lead to a reduction in fleet capacity and a change in the structure of employment, resulting in fewer but more stable full-time jobs. This can be problematic for small-scale fisheries and young people trying to advance beyond deckhand jobs, as the cost of entry to the quota market becomes prohibitively high.

Furthermore, critics have argued that catch share programs serve as a mechanism for the consolidation of fishing rights, often by corporations with better financing capacity than independent fishermen. This can lead to increased economic inequality and further marginalise small-scale fishing operations.

Some have also claimed that catch share programs are reflective of the increasing influence of special interests over legislation and the strong link between government and the private sector.

Moreover, while catch share programs aim to promote sustainable fishing practices, recent studies have shown that they may not offer any advantages over conventional management in terms of long-term sustainability and may even exacerbate localized fishery depletion.

Finally, catch share programs have been criticised for their potential to centralise power and increase the risk of fraud and cheating, as seen in the case of Carlos Rafael, dubbed "The Codfather", who committed various transgressions and accumulated significant power through the catch share system in New England.

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