Red Snapper Discards in the Gulf of Mexico: Fishermen’S Perceptions Following the Implementation of Individual Fishing Quotas
Author's personal copy Marine Policy 36 (2012) 583–591 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Marine Policy journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/marpol Red snapper discards in the Gulf of Mexico: Fishermen’s perceptions following the implementation of Individual Fishing Quotas Sarika Cullis-Suzuki a,n, Murdoch McAllister b, Pamela Baker c, Tom Carruthers b, T.J. Tate d a 2477 Point Grey Road, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6K 1A1 b Fisheries Centre, Aquatic Ecosystems Research Laboratory (AERL), University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4 c Environmental Defense Fund, Texas Regional Office, 44 East Ave, Suite 304, Austin, TX 78701, USA d Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance, 111 Gentian Road, St. Augustine, FL 32086, USA article info abstract Article history: In 2007, an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program was introduced to the valuable red snapper Received 18 July 2011 (Lutjanus campechanus) fishery in the US Gulf of Mexico. This study assessed the current perceived scale Received in revised form and causes of red snapper discarding in the Gulf in recent years within the commercial reef fish fishery, 9 October 2011 according to commercial fishermen. Data were collected through interviews, which took place with Accepted 10 October 2011 fishermen in April and May 2010, and which were unexpectedly halted due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred in late April 2010. Results suggest that for those fishermen fully participating in Keywords: the IFQ program, snapper discarding has decreased since program implementation. For those not fully Red snapper involved in the program (e.g., due to participation costs), discarding has likely since increased.
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