Structuring Species Closures that Work
for Fishermen
Kate Quigley
Council Economist
Ad Hoc Committee on Socio-Economic Impact
of Yearly Closures
July 24, 2013
What is the Issue?
• The recently implemented Accountability
Measures (AMs) require that each year, the
fishing season be shortened by an estimated
number of days to prevent exceeding the
Annual Catch Limit (ACL).
• Without further action by the Council, this will
be accomplished with a shortened season for
all species groupings exceeding the ACL.
What is the Issue?
• Shortening seasons for multiple species or
groups of species within an island group could
result in substantially reduced fishing
opportunities due to overlapping closures. All
AM closures are presently established by
starting on December 31 and counting back
until the required number of days is reached.
What is a Possible Solution?
• A better approach might be for the Council, in
cooperation with affected user groups, to
decide when closures should occur.
– Potentially less negative effects on fishers and the
communities they support
– Fishermen better able to allocate fishing effort
– Potentially fewer overlapping closures
Choosing Closure Dates
How can the Council choose closure dates that
benefit fishermen? Basic idea 1) NMFS determines the season length that ensures
the ACL will not again be exceeded
2) Council staff uses economic data to identify
possible closure options that would:
• Eliminate the overage
• Have least economic impact on fishermen
Choosing Closure Dates
3) Council members discuss and cross some options off the list if
they interfere with important fishing times (Lent, holidays, other
fishery openings) and other considerations for fishermen and
the communities they support
4) Seek user-group input on preferred closures
5) Council decision made based on input from user-groups and
other information
ECONOMIC MODEL IS ONLY ONE PART OF THE PROCESS
Economic Model –
Identifying Closure Options
• One user-friendly model for each island/island group
and species/species group
• Model looks at economic importance of
species/species group on a daily basis over the course
of a year
• Type in pounds by which the ACL was exceeded and
model identifies several options for closures that will
decrease landings by those pounds but that also have
smallest economic impacts on fishermen
Economic Model - Data
• What kind of data is it good to have for this
model?
– Fishermen fisheries participation
– Revenues
– Cost of fishing
– Prices
– Market information
– Subsistence fishing information
Economic Model - Data
Types of Data
What we Have
*Pounds Caught
✓
*Revenues
✓
*Prices
✓
What is Missing
Comm. Fisheries Participation
✓
Subsistence Fishing (species targeted)
✓
Cost of fishing over the year (labor, diesel)
✓
Market information (peak buying times)
✓
Important events
✓
Weather occurrences
✓
*Commercial Catch Reports
Economic Model Input & Output
• Input
– Pounds
– Years to use (most recent, last three averaged, last
five averaged)
• Output
– Graphs showing temporal patterns of fish
valuations (these used to predict best closure
dates)
– Calendar showing closure options
Model Benefits
• Fishermen can identify closure dates that have
not been provided as options and those can be
evaluated to see:
– If they achieve pounds decrease needed and
– What the estimated economic effect in revenues lost
is
• The model is a way for the Council and
constituents to have a conversation about a
mutually preferred closure date.
Future Model Benefits
• The model will be updated each year with new
landings data.
• As more data and knowledge is gathered, the
model will be revised and improved. Example:
portfolio fishing information
• Can provide for quick info on economic effects
when usually this process takes months. In this
way, the Council and constituents can more
quickly consider options.
Draft Timeline
• Present draft model for one species/species
group for each island/island group to Council
in August 2013 and get feedback
• Present full draft model to Council in
December 2013 and get feedback
• Present “final” model in March 2014 if not
available earlier
Summary
• To avoid a closure of many species/species groupings at
once at the end of the year, the Council can create
closure options for other times during the year.
• To facilitate this conversation, a user-friendly economic
model can be developed that provides for a daily
“valuation” of species/species groupings over the
course of a year. It can be used to identify closure
options with least economic effects.
• The economic model can be used as a starting point for
the conversation between the Council and constituents
in choosing a preferred closure
Questions & Comments
Recommendations to the Council
• Recommend that Council staff develop economic model to evaluate
options for
– STX : Move closure for lobster
– STT and STJ : Move closure for grouper
Olsen/Kojis
Motion passes unanimously
(For August 2013 mtg)
• Recommend that Council staff develop an economic model to
evaluate options to move closure for Snapper Unit 2 for the
December 2013 meeting
Velazquez/Kojis
Motion passes unanimously
Issues to Keep in Mind and Address
• Data available (commercial landings, revenue) is not sufficient
and needs to be improved
• St. Thomas - Data on fisheries participation can be
incorporated
• St. Thomas - Market information is available and can be
incorporated
• Concern that closures will be permanent and not flexible year
to year
• PR – Data on fisheries participation will differ by region. Can
we incorporate this information
• STX – Dolphin fishing varies seasonally