Thank you very much for the opportunity to appear Nov. 9 as a panelist at the forum you hosted on fisheries management at the Fairfield Inn. While it was clear that there was plenty of disagreement in the room, it's clear that we all do share the goals of maintaining strong fishing communities and robust fisheries for generations to come.
I wanted to clear up some incorrect statements made during the evening so that as people evaluate fishery management options, they are basing their opinions on accurate information.
First, the statement that "most countries are getting rid of their catch share programs" is simply incorrect. In fact, out of nearly 300 programs in existence, there are only two such documented cases in the world (British Columbia abalone and chignik salmon in Alaska). In British Columbia, an individual quota system was halted and the fishery was ultimately closed because fish stocks failed to rebound, possibly due to illegal harvesting by non-licensed operators. In Alaska, the program — which succeeded in increasing profitability for fishermen and lengthening the season — was discontinued due to a lawsuit over the cooperatives' profit-sharing arrangement.
Read the complete letter from The South Coast Today.