Oregon Sea Grant

On January11, 2011, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) instituted a catch share program for the West Coast groundfish trawl fishery. The program was intended to create a more sustainable fishery and increase economic efficiency through the use of individual fishing quotas and fishing cooperatives. While there are extensive plans to assess the effectiveness of the program over the next several years, there are additional impacts that have emerged that warrant further consideration. This research focuses on areas that were not the primary focus of the PFMC and National Marine Fisheries Service in designing the program, but which may have important effects on other stakeholders of the program. This study sets up a framework that is then used to conduct preliminary analyses on four emerging impacts. The objective of this work is to add to the body of knowledge assessing the catch share program and to further efforts aimed at minimizing negative socioeconomic effects of the program.