Management of Sea Herring Fisheries in the Northwest Atlantic

• Published in: Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
• Main Author: Hennemuth, R. C.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1973
• Subjects: General Medicine; Northwest Atlantic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f73-380; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f73-380

Regulatory measures for herring set by the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries (ICNAF) represent an important milestone in international fishery regulation because for the first time, they provide for national quotas in addition to a total catch limitation.The first regulatory measures were proposed in January 1972 to be effective that same year. In January 1973, the effects of the 1972 catch on the stock were evaluated, national quotas for 1973 were proposed, and conditional allowable catches for 1974 were proposed depending on stock size at the end of 1973. The 1972 catch, which according to preliminary statistics was within the total allowable catch, caused a further decrease in stock size. The effectiveness of the proposed 1973–74 quotas in increasing stock size depends on the sizes of the 1970 and 1971 year-classes entering the fishery in 1973 and 1974.Major problems in negotiating these regulations were caused by biological and socioeconomic factors. Biological factors included: population structure — several stocks involved, and parts of them are in nonconvention waters; assessment of effects of fishing — difficult because of rapid fishery development and because there are separate fisheries on adults and juveniles; fishery status — reductions up to 64% from 1971 catches required to prevent further spawning stock decreases. Socioeconomic factors included: allocation — general principles not previously applied, complications from new entrants, newly developing fisheries, and territorial-water fisheries; non-members; immediate action — normal procedures would prevent effective control in 1972; nonconvention waters — significant portions of the fishery not under ICNAF control; economic impact — severe reductions in existing fisheries and curtailment of developing national fisheries; administration — control technically difficult because of species and size mixture.Solutions to these problems arrived at by ICNAF are discussed, and seven general requirements for rational management ...