Texas Shrimp Fishery
April 2005

Coastal Bend Shrimp Fishery Pilot Program

View Graphics by Phillip Lara and Robin Riechers [PDF]
Symposium Participants
Speakers' Biographies

By Phillip Lara

A Proposal

Help improve economic and ecological outcomes in the Texas shrimp fishery. Use a pilot program to test individual fishing quotas (IFQs) in place of current shrimping effort control regulations that may harm fishing businesses and hinder ecological protection. IFQs cap the seasonal catch and allocate it through quota shares to individual shrimpers. Shrimpers choose when to work and how much to harvest daily based on market, environmental, and weather conditions. If they want to expand a business or retire, they can buy and sell shares with other boats.

Key Issues:

1. Program eligibility. Voluntary and open to any person holding a bay and/or bait shrimping license and operating in Coastal Bend waters. Entry of new-comers and exit of participants could be accommodated at designated intervals.

Issue: Defining the program area.

2. Setting a total allowable catch (TAC). An IFQ program uses a TAC (instead of regulations like daily catch and time of day limits) to manage the fishery. Setting a TAC for shrimp must account for its short life cycle and seasonality. TAC-setting will be based on biological models and historical state landings data. Since annual landings fluctuate up and down, mid-season upward adjustments can be made during years of high abundance.

Issue: Defining a TAC-setting method for the program area and determining how much will be allocated to the program.

3. Allocating quota to individuals. IFQ programs usually assign quotas based on an individual's catch history. However, some shrimpers have paperwork to verify catch records and others do not. In addition, some operations target smaller quantities of high value shrimp over large volumes and are concerned about receiving a small allocation relative to others.

Issue: Developing a way to allow participation of those with and without catch records. For example, allocations might be based on:

• a. catch records
• b. predetermined formula such as an equal split
• c. choice of either "a" or "b"
• d. combination of "a" and "b" such as allocating a percentage equally among participants and a percentage on catch history, or
• e. some other method

Issue: Determining how to fairly account for operations that have targeted small quantities of high value shrimp, or bait fish, or who have moved to other commercial activities in recent years.

4. Regulatory relief. Certain regulations that currently are intended to reduce shrimping effort can be eliminated under the pilot program. These would likely include eliminating daily catch and time of day limits and "live on board" requirements among others.

Issue: Determining which regulations can be safely eliminated.

5. Monitoring and enforcement. Accurate monitoring helps track catch quotas, and strong enforcement allows participants to operate successfully in the pilot program.

Issue: Establishing a "call-in/call-out" or similar system that allows enforcement to track participants' trawling schedules to ensure they can operate successfully, and to deter violations of non-participants. Some people are concerned that participants could be unfairly hassled. Some recommend that penalties be very steep for violations (for participants operating illegally and nonparticipants that jeopardize the program). Issue: Establishing a "call-in/call-out" or similar system that allows enforcement to spot-check catches at the dock to verify landings. There are questions regarding whether a captain would be required to weigh or estimate his catch on the way into the dock (both are difficult). Some question whether additional paper work will be required and if the state's pilot trip ticket system is sufficient. Issue: Monitoring catches requires third-party verification. In many cases, boats can sell to a dealer that serves as the third-party. There are concerns about how to handle situations in which the boat owner and dealer are the same person, and how to verify catches sold by direct marketers.

6. Industry, State and community support. The pilot program will affect boats, fish houses, bait dealers, and others. An educational effort will be needed to build broad support.

Issue: The State will implement and enforce the program. Some shrimpers are worried that working on new regulations will back-fire and harm the industry.

Issue:The State will implement and enforce the program. Some shrimpers are worried that working on new regulations will back-fire and harm the industry.

Issue: Some shrimp boats will want to join the program and others will not. Those who do not may oppose the program because participants gain regulatory relief. Issue: Some bait houses and food shrimp dealers - uncertain of the outcome - may discourage boats from participating.

7. Interaction with other fisheries. Bait trawlers concurrently target croaker and other species along with shrimp.

Issue: Determining whether and how to include croaker and other important bait species.