From right-based catch shares to benthic impacts

Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research From right-based catch shares to benthic impacts Jochen Depestele ALTER-NET Target 4: Ensure the sustainability of fisheries Gent, Belgium 18 april 2013 Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research www.ilvo.vlaanderen.be Agriculture and Fisheries Policy Area

2 statements: first Statement 2: Rights-based catch shares can provide incentives for sustainable harvest that is less prone to collapse. It can, however, lead to accumulation of fishery property rights in nonfishery related companies. Statement 3: Bottom trawling and the seafloor disturbance resulting from it enhances fish stock productivity and is essential for productive fish stocks and economically viable fisheries. ALTER - Net 2

ALTER - Net 3 (c) Costello et al. (2012a - Nature)

Why ITQs in fisheries? World fisheries with biomass below MSY: 63 64% Unassessed stocks ITQ management prevents stock collapse (c) Costello et al. (2008 - Science) Assessed stocks Median B/B MSY (c) Costello et al. (2012b - Science) (c) Worm et al. (2009 - Science)

Why ITQs in CFP? (1) Jo burg WSSD 2002: Fishing at MSY by 2015 Assessed EU stocks (2008) outside safe limits (c) EEA Reduce overcapacity Self-regulating mechanism (ITQ) Past policies did NOT work: (e.g. 2.7 billion for scrapping) still 3% in fishing capacity (c) Hannesson et al. (2013) 91% of EU stocks will not meet the MSY target by 2015 under current fishing pressure (Froese & Proelb, 2010) Decrease in nr of vessels since ITQs (1996: cod trawlers; <1996: indirect quota trading via boat licenses) 5

Why ITQs in CFP? (2) Plan fishing along market developments Increase responsibility of fishermen Flexibility to comply with discard ban O: overfished species with restrictive allowable catches Q: species under ITQ management R: species that cannot be landed (c) Branch et al. (2006)

So, what s the catch? Prevention of stock collapse is not guaranteed! ITQs reduce variability in exploitation rate (A) BC petrale sole; (B) SE Australia school whiting; (C) New Zealand red rock lobster. ITQ ITQ ITQ (c) Essington et al. (2012) Yes! I want to be a fisherman... What s the catch? Maybe an ITQ red herring...? ALTER - Net 7

So, what s the catch? Strong effect in multi-species fisheries with full observer coverage! enforcement! ITQs reduce variability in exploitation rate IF EXCLUSIVITY and DURABILITY/SECURITY Take care of your babies, fishermen! ALTER - Net 8

It s not all roses there... 1) evaluation? What about ITQs in EU? NS Beam trawlers in NL and B (target: PLE/SOL) Licensing max days@sea... B+NL: schemes for decommissioning,... B+NL informal max fishing NL ITQ capacity Official? NL ITQ B: IQs, based on kw 209 (1990) > 107 (2006) Fish capacity slightly NL: fleet reduction from days@sea NL Biesheuvel

(c) ICES It s not all roses there... 1) evaluation? What about ITQs in EU? NS Beam trawlers in NL and B (target: PLE/SOL) Licensing max days@sea... informal NL ITQ B+NL max fishing capacity Official? NL ITQ B+NL: fleet reduction NL Biesheuvel

(c) Hatcher et al. (2002); Van Hoof (2013) It s not all roses there... 2) relative stability? NS Beam trawlers in NL Fleet rationalisation quota-hopping 1988 > 1998 + 133 vessels - 161 decommissioned - 176 withdrawals (UK flag) 40 20 0

It s not all roses there... 3) Social equity 4) active fishermen (c) Arnason (2005); (c) Benediktsson and Karlsdóttir (2011) ALTER - Net 12

What can catch shares accomplish? Q-value: Quality of property rights Durability Security BUT! social issues... Exclusivity Transferability ALTER - Net 13 (c) MRAG (2009)

But again, it s not all roses there... What about the ecosystem? (besides overfishing) Ecosystem objectives: fishy ITQs: limits on fishing capacity =~ limits on effort = insufficient to meet ecosystem objectives How can the fishing industry be involved in achieving GES? Incentive-based management? ALTER - Net 14

Ideas for incentive-based EAFM? Expand ITQs for all species? TAC adjustment based on trade-offs, interactions with non-target species Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery 2009 ETBF fishing effort with bycatch penalties Create Individual Habitat Quota? Real-Time Incentives? Holland & Schnier (2006); Kraak et al. (2012) (c) Bax, 2010 ALTER - Net 15

2 statements: second Statement 2: Rights-based catch shares can provide incentives for sustainable harvest that is less prone to collapse. It can, however, lead to accumulation of fishery property rights in nonfishery related companies. Statement 3: Bottom trawling and the seafloor disturbance resulting from it enhances fish stock productivity and is essential for productive fish stocks and economically viable fisheries. ALTER - Net 16

Seafloor impacts Fishermen s perspectives Plaice box failed, from 90s onwards... Farming the sea! Question 1: How can science assess the influence of sea floor disturbance on fish stock productivity and the marine ecosystem? ALTER - Net 17

Seafloor impacts Scientific assessments From short-term to long-term monitoring 1) BACI-experiments: Short-term mortality, scavenging, etc. 2) Modelling Combination of short-term empirical data through algorithms 3) Effort comparisons Long-term, historical data Spatially ALTER - Net 18

Turnover rate Total production Seafloor impacts Scientific assessments Differences in direct mortality Differences in recovery potential ~ gear ~ habitat ~ traits Shift in species composition, abundance & productivity ALTER - Net 19 (c) Jennings et al. (2001)

Seafloor impacts ~ fish stock productivity? Food dependence of fish productivity? Slight increase in fish food production at very low trawling intensities (c) Rijnsdorp & Vingerhoed (2001) (c) Hiddink et al. (2008)

Seafloor impacts ~ fish stock productivity? Plaice length ~ age + food + density + effort 47% otter and 53% beam 74% otter and 26% beam Plaice: <3% polychaetes as food Plaice: polychaetes as food (c) Shephard et al. (2010)

2 questions in conclusion Statement 2: How can ITQs be used to combine economics, society and ecosystems? ITQs = economic efficient ITQs = social drama? ITQs = What about other ecosystem objectives besides overfishing? Statement 3: Ploughing the seafloor: How can we communicate the subtle effects and the (sometimes contradicting) and difficult scientific results on the effects of seafloor disturbance with fishermen? ALTER - Net 22

From right-based catch shares to benthic impacts Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research Jochen.Depestele@ilvo.vlaanderen.be Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research www.ilvo.vlaanderen.be Agriculture and Fisheries Policy Area