CapMel.com - CCA : “ The Largest Public Fishery Giveaway In Florida’s History”

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CCA : “Largest Public Fishery Giveaway In Florida’s History”
From the Coastal Conservation Association

The Federal Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) have expedited the implementation of an IFQ (Individual Fishing Quota) program for exclusive access privileges for Gulf grouper. The Gulf Council’s Grouper IFQ program will allocate and grant exclusive right of access to more than 65 percent of all the Gulf red and gag grouper to a limited number of commercial interests.“The magnitude of this giveaway is unprecedented,” said Ted Forsgren, CCA Florida Executive Director. “It is the largest public fishery giveaway in Florida’s history!”

NMFS states that the IFQ does not convey title, or ownership of the resource, to the commercial fishers. However, the commercial fishers will be allowed to take, sell, lease, broker, and even bequeath these grouper quota shares. “For this privilege the commercial interests will pay absolutely nothing,” said Forsgren.

The Gulf grouper IFQ debate is not about conservation. It is about the allocation and the access to public resources. CCA has a proven history of supporting conservation measures to protect and restore fisheries, and has supported additional recreational restrictions on Gulf grouper. However, CCA is opposed to locking up access to a public resource in a small number of commercials interests.

Establishing IFQ’s will only benefit large operators in the commercial fishery. The recreational fishery will not be allowed to expand because reallocation of grouper take from the commercial IFQ will never occur. In the future, as more people try to fish for grouper the bag limits and seasons will be even more restrictive until the recreational fishery is no longer viable.

“The more valuable recreational fishery will be strangled,” said Jeff Allen, Chairman CCA Florida Government Relations Committee. “The economic damages that will be inflicted upon Florida’s recreational fishery have been completely disregarded.”

Groups other than recreational fishers are now voicing concerns over the use of IFQ’s, ITQ’s and other catch shares programs. A number of documents and reports which identify serious problems caused by such programs have been recently released. One of the newest reports by EcoTrust Canada came out after the Gulf Council’s final action. EcoTrust’s report contains a detailed analysis of the ITQ’s in British Columbia including the following statements;

Debate about ITQs is often polarized and fuelled more by ideology than reality. Proponents hail ITQs as a solution for both conservation and the financial ills plaguing the fishing industry. However, too many people—including some environmentalists—accept exaggerated claims about ITQs without clearly knowing the facts.

Unfortunately, a number of recent studies—including a high-profile 2008 article in the journal Science—have exaggerated the virtues of ITQs, drawn specious correlations, ignored unintended consequences and, generally, oversimplified the complex causes of fisheries collapses and how to stop them. Perspective is being lost as myth becomes received wisdom.

EcoTrust Canada, 2009 – A Cautionary Tale About ITQ’s in BC Fisheries

CCA has provided formal comments detailing the provisions of the Gulf grouper IFQ (Amendment 29) which do not comply with the Magnuson Stevens Act and the Administrative Procedures Act. In addition, CCA has provided NMFS with the analysis and problems documented in the British Columbia fisheries reports and urged the NMFS to re-evaluate the IFQ plan. It is also important to note that the Magnuson Stevens Act does not require the adoption of IFQ’s nor is there any deadline for adoption.

The Gulf recreational grouper fishery has an economic value of 223 million dollars, nearly three times larger than the economic value of the commercial fishery. “Many of the serious problem elements identified in the CCA, EcoTrust Canada and other reports are imbedded in the federal Gulf grouper plan,” said Bill Bird, Chairman CCA Florida Board of Directors.

“Given the magnitude of the potential economic and other damages, and the time available for review, the rejection of requests to re-examine the plan before final approval is clearly irresponsible,” said Bird. “It demonstrates a complete lack of understanding and concern for recreational fisheries.”