Quota discarding and distributive justice: The case of the under-10m fishing fleet in Sussex, England

• Main Authors: Gray T, Korda R, Stead S, Jones E
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Pergamon 2010
• Subjects: Gadus morhua
• Online Access: https://eprint.ncl.ac.uk/fulltext.aspx?url=174144/359AAAB9-D730-47DE-82E2-1A59EDE4D7EB.pdf&pub_id=174144

Marine fish discarding has become a contentious environmental issue, but little attention has been paid to the moral grievances that sometimes underlie discarding practices. This article explores such a moral grievance through a case study of the under-10. m fishery in Sussex, England, where discarding of cod (Gadus morhua) has become a highly charged issue, skippers blaming it on unjust quota allocations. The moral claim to a greater quota allocation is analysed using two conceptions of distributive justice, entitlement and desert. The conclusion reached is that the under-10. m fleet's entitlement arguments for a higher quota are weaker than their desert arguments, but that entitlement arguments weigh more heavily than desert arguments with government when it allocates quota. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.