Browsing by Subject "Magnuson-Steven Fisheries Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA)"

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    A CASE STUDY OF GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY AND THE SOCIOPOLITICAL PROCESS: AUTHORIZATION OF PROCESSOR QUOTA SHARES IN THE MAGNUSON-STEVENS FISHERY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT ACT
    (2003) Hunt, Stephanie L
    Special interest groups are trying to change language in the Magnuson-Steven Fisheries Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA) to allow fishery management councils to create and allocate processor quota (PQ). This limited entry tool is a companion to Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQs) which allocate harvesting rights to individual fishermen or vessel owners. Authorizing PQ would allow councils to give seafood companies exclusive buying rights and would require fishermen to sell their catch to the limited number of buyers holding PQ shares. A grassroots advocacy campaign opposing PQ prevented the 107th Congress from including controversial PQ language in MSFCMA reauthorization. Employing the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association (CCCHFA) as a case study, I will analyze how strategies of coalition building, constituent mobilization, and media contact were effectively applied in this campaign. Likewise, strategies to activate members of Congress played a prominent role in the effort. The CCCHFA led 225 visits to Congressional offices, trained more than 17 commercial fishermen in advocacy techniques, generated press coverage on both coasts, and produced a hard-hitting advocacy video that was distributed to all 535 members of Congress. To accomplish future goals, the anti-PQ campaign requires a long-term commitment with flexible goals and strategies, which allow the CCCHFA to take advantage of the changing sociopolitical climate. Given its limited resources, the organization must use time efficiently and continue to build upon past victories.
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    A Comparison of Groundfish Management on the East and West Coasts of the United States
    (2004) Strader, Rachel
    The groundfish fisheries of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the US are valuable economically and ecologically. The industries in the two locations have faced depleted stocks and increased regulations by the New England and Pacific Fishery Management Councils over the years. Both fisheries contain a varied array of demersal fish in separate ecosystem contexts, and similar gear types are used in both locations. However, the community and geographical structures, composition and interactions of the Fishery Management Councils, industry organization, and activism create a different historical perspective with which to view management failures and successes. In New England, factors such as a greater value of independence, a lack of cooperation and coordination between stakeholders and scientists, and a longer history of fishery decline have contributed to the current management climate. The Pacific groundfishery has experienced a more recent illumination of overexploitation, but there is a longer history of cooperation between states, fishermen, and scientists. In addition, differences in the Pacific Fishery Management Council structure and process have created a distinct management picture. The management measures enacted by the two councils since the implementation of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act have differed, but neither has been successful—as evidenced by overexploited stocks. Recently, both fisheries management plans have undergone changes in response to the declines and subsequent lawsuits by stakeholder groups. From comparing the characteristics of the two council systems, their methods, and their participants, important lessons can be learned as fisheries management on both sides of the US continues, out of necessity, to evolve.
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    SAVING THE SHALLOW WATER GAG GROUPER IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC: AN INVESTIGATION OF FISHERY MANAGMENT
    (2007-05) Miller, Kerri Lynn
    With the continued depletion of the nation’s fish stocks, this paper investigates fisheries management through the case study of the gag grouper in the South Atlantic. In accordance with the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Management Act, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has the responsibility to design regulations to prevent the gag grouper stock from becoming overfished. The 2006 summer Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) analysis suggested the SAFMC wasn’t adhering to their responsibility, allowing the gag to become potentially overfished. Given the management challenges of a data poor environment, complicated species biology, and a multispecies complex, the gag grouper case illustrates the problems associated with fishery management. A list of potential management options was compiled from a literature review of fishery management practices focusing on case studies of successful multispecies fisheries in similar situations. An analysis of the fishery highlighted three themes necessary for the sustainability of the gag grouper stock: better information on the status of the stock, a reduction in fishing mortality and bycatch, and protection of the spawning aggregations. Based on the literature review, personal communications, and the logistics of the gag grouper fishery, recommendations were devised and presented to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The reauthorization of the Magnuson Act in January 2007 will hopefully provide the necessary impetus for the SAFMC to take actions to save the shallow water gag grouper in the South Atlantic.