The US Magnuson-Stevens Act authorizes the use of onboard observers to
monitor commercial fisheries catch and bycatch (PFMC 2003). A question
of concern in implementing an observer program is that of the appropriate
level of observer coverage. Current practice varies by fishery; for example,
the California-Oregon drift gillnet fishery for...
The red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) is an alien invasive species in the Barents Sea representing a value as well as a potential pest. A bio-economic model is applied analysing the costs that traditional fisheries incur as a result of the king crab invasion, as well as the income from...
The lack of selectivity in many fisheries may lead to discards and bycatch. Discards of under-sized or non-commercial species/individuals represent damage to the eco-system, an additional source of overfishing and a waste of resources. Bycatch may increase fishing pressure on species targeted by other fishermen. The purpose of the paper...
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...
Five species of marine turtles are found within the territorial waters of Vietnam, and all populations are declining. As part of a broader strategy and Action Plan, the Government of Vietnam and WWF Vietnam have launched a two-year project to: 1) document relative gear impacts, and geographic hotspots , for...
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...
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...
Since 1999, the scallop fisheries have been granted access to closed areas on Georges Bank, and the
access programs have been managed through individual vessel quotas for scallops, and a common-pool
total allowable catch (TAC) for yellowtail flounder bycatch. The scallop resource is neither overfished
and nor is overfishing occurring,...
There is growing recognition worldwide that the impacts of fishing on non-targeted components of marine ecosystems should be included in the assessment of fisheries sustainability. This leads to the inclusion of new constraints in evaluations of the long-term bio-economic performance of fisheries. In this paper, we analyze the implications of...