September 10, 2012 — The EDF is a strong proponent of catch shares. The large and influential organization is one of the main reasons NOAA has adopted catch shares as its new fisheries management mechanism.
In 2009, former EDF Vice-Chairwoman Dr. Jane Lubchenco was named the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator by President Barack Obama. She is the head of NOAA. Curiously, her tenure at EDF is omitted from her extensive resume in her 500 word biographical information on her NOAA Web page.
According to the EDF’s published stance, catch shares have been proven across the globe – in the U.S., 20 countries and in hundreds of fisheries. They claim research has shown that catch shares are effective in protecting fish stocks and even improve industry profitability. Giving fishermen a percentage of an allowable catch, a “catch share”, will end overfishing.
EDF believes catch shares give fishermen better incentive “to become good stewards of the resource”. Conservation today will result in bigger catch-share in the future. They do recognize, however, that there is a price to be paid for these benefits which can be “particularly hard hitting for some individuals and communities”.