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Sustainable fisheries management techniques

The implementation of various fishery management measures. Watch video to learn more.

The professor discusses different management measures that could be implemented to promote sustainable fisheries.

One major approach is to define the property rights of fish resources in order to limit access to the resources and prevent the tragedy of the commons. A related measure is to determine the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) in order to maintain the removal of fish from the ocean. Another option is the Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) system, which assigns fishing fleets a quota that can be transferred to other fleets. However, ITQ systems can result in inequality as larger companies tend to dominate the market, leading to a concentration of quotas among fewer companies. Other measures include limiting fishing efforts by restricting fishing vessels, hours, or days; size limits to maintain the recruitment of fish populations; and gear regulations to ensure sustainable fishing practices. Despite these measures, the author argues that sustainable fishing practices are difficult to enforce, especially when government incentives are geared towards increasing the catch.

Review questions:

  • What are the drawbacks of implementing an ITQ system in managing fisheries?
  • How do gear regulations promote sustainable fishing practices and what are some examples?
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SDG 14: Global Action for Marine Conservation

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