If Ms. Lubchenco would implement a crash program to decrease the level of underfishing, not just in New England and not just in the groundfish fishery, with the same zeal that she has put into her catch share revolution, I doubt if that or any other revolution in how we run our fisheries would be necessary.
The fish are out there and they're out there in numbers that are large enough so that their harvest could be substantially increased yet still be sustainable.
NOAA head Jane Lubchenco, the people who work for her and the ENGOs and the foundations that are behind them are committed to their catch shares revolution, arguably to make the fisheries more efficient but unquestionably to get rid of boats, to get rid of fishermen, and to get rid of the influence on fishing and ocean-use policies that fishermen have rightfully had for generations. Of course the best way to demonstrate that catch shares actually work would be to have the fishermen in a fishery catch more fish, but it just seems as if this idea is anathema to Ms. Lubchenco and everyone behind her.
Read the complete opinion piece from Fish Net USA.