A new approach to determine the distributional effects of quota management in fisheries

Type Article
Date 2016-09
Language English
Author(s) Bellanger Manuel1, Macher ClaireORCID1, Guyader OlivierORCID1
Affiliation(s) 1 : IFREMER, UMR AMURE, Unite Econ Maritime, BP 70, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
Source Fisheries Research (0165-7836) (Elsevier Science Bv), 2016-09 , Vol. 181 , P. 116-126
DOI 10.1016/j.fishres.2016.04.002
WOS© Times Cited 16
Keyword(s) Distribution, Inequality, Producer organizations, Catch shares, Common-pool resources, Fishery management
Abstract Quota allocation mechanisms have distributional effects that are highly relevant to the economic organization of fisheries. In France, where fishing allocations are non-transferable, quotas are shared among Producer Organizations (POs) based on the historical landings of their members. Each PO is then responsible for implementing their own internal rules that provide individual or collective allocations to their members. This study investigates the distributional effects of the various quota management systems adopted by POs on quotas and production for the Bay of Biscay sole fishery. A comparison between initial allocations by vessel based on historical landings and actual observed landings is presented. Inequality metrics are used to quantify distributional effects, and a new method that is based on the decomposability property of the Theil index is introduced. Results show that the French management system successfully avoided concentration of production while reducing the fishing capacity through decommissioning schemes. The non-transferability of fishing allocations is a critical element that favored this outcome by allowing POs to control the distribution of catch shares in the fishery. Besides, it appears that the allocation strategies developed by POs were notably influenced by their local roots and their fishing fleet profiles. The various quota allocation systems among POs had contrasting effects on vessels’ production, including greater equity within particular subfleets, benefits to vessels most dependent on sole in most POs, and benefits to the small-scale fisheries in a few POs.
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