In the quest to limit the bycatch of non-target species, marine protected
areas (MPAs) have been frequently utilized. MPAs are popular with
ecologists and fishery managers because of their relative ease of
administration, habitat protection benefits, and the widespread acceptance
of MPAs as an instrument of choice for the ecosystem...
After salmon bycatch levels reached record levels in 2006 and 2007 in the
Bering Sea pollock fishery, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council
(NPFMC) began consideration of a hard cap that would close the fishery if
it were reached. The NPFMC asked for input from economists at the
National Marine...
Implementation of the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)
generates costs to both the public and private sectors. While many of the
costs are complementary, some result in potential tradeoffs between
various groups incurring these costs. Under the MMPA, if estimated
bycatch of a species exceeds its Potential Biological Removal...
Bycatch is a nearly universal problem for fisheries, and it is becoming
increasingly common to place strict limits on allowable bycatch, either on
individuals or as a cap on an industry sector s bycatch. Individual bycatch
quotas strengthen individual incentives to avoid bycatch and may reduce
the likelihood that the...
The bycatch problem has remained troubling and persistent, even in
fisheries that have rationalized their target fisheries. The Alaskan Pollock
fishery is an example of a fishery struggling to contain the bycatch of
salmon in spite of a transformation of incentives associated with a
harvester coop system in the target...
With a value of NZ$ 85 million the seasonal squid fishery represents one of
New Zealands main export earners. The majority of catch is taken by trawl
from the Auckland Islands, 350 km south of New Zealand, which coincides
with the main breeding and foraging range of the rare Hookers...
Bycatch is repeatedly noted as a primary problem of fisheries management
and as the foremost negative impact of commercial fishing. In the Bering
Sea pollock fishery, salmon bycatch reduction measures have included gear
modifications but have principally consisted of area closures. Bycatch
levels of chum and Chinook salmon have risen...
All animals that interact with fishing gear are not necessarily captured, and all animals that are captured are not necessarily retained. Fishing practices and gear configuration, management regulations, and markets dictate which animals ultimately are retained or discarded. The impact of a fishery and the efficacy of management regulations can...
A concern for the consequences of bycatch and discards in fisheries has led to the implementation of
new policies and fisheries management plans aimed at their reduction in many fisheries around the
world. Such plans have been developed for the Australian Commonwealth fisheries (the most recent
bycatch action plan extends...
In ecosystem-based fishery management, the ecosystem comprises the
natural sub-system and also human components, including user groups,
institutions and the processes of management. Regional Fishery
Management Organizations (RFMOs), particularly those designed to
manage tunas, were not established with an ecosystem view of the pelagic
environment. However, tuna RFMOs have evolved...