National Academies Press: OpenBook
« Previous: Front Matter
Suggested Citation:"Executive Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. The Use of Limited Access Privilege Programs in Mixed-Use Fisheries. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26186.
×

Executive Summary

The Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2018 mandated a study that considers the use of limited access privilege programs (LAPPs) in mixed-use fisheries. Under a LAPP, individuals receive a permit to harvest a defined portion of the total allowable catch for a particular fish stock. The focus on mixed-use fisheries in this assessment of LAPPs reflects the difficulties of managing different sectors that target the same species (and stock) of fish. However, the question of how LAPPs impact the overall fishery, including fishing sectors that are not part of a LAPP, but target the same species, remains. Specifically, what are the impacts of LAPPs in “mixed-use fisheries,” where the same species or stocks are targeted by recreational, for-hire, and commercial sectors?

Consistent with the legislative request, the report considers the use of LAPPs in the red snapper and grouper and tilefish (managed by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council), wreckfish (managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council), golden tilefish (managed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council), and bluefin tuna (a highly migratory species managed by the Secretary of Commerce) mixed-use fisheries.

For each of the LAPPs in these mixed-use fisheries, the committee examined available data and analyses on the fisheries and collected testimony from fishery participants, relevant Councils, and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) regional experts through a series of public meetings. To provide context for the information provided, the committee conducted literature reviews of peer-reviewed studies that have examined or predicted LAPP impacts in mixed-use fisheries.

Overall, the use of LAPPs in the mixed-use fisheries reviewed by the committee shows little discernable impact on recreational and for-hire stakeholders; the outcomes of LAPPs in these mixed-use fisheries are similar to experiences in LAPPs that lack mixed-use components. The evidence base in the committee’s study of mixed-use LAPPs affirms a number of positive outcomes cataloged elsewhere in the literature while failing to provide a clear picture of many of the associated negative outcomes. Nevertheless, substantial data shortages limit the committee’s ability to robustly exclude the potential for some negative social and community effects. The committee’s

Suggested Citation:"Executive Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. The Use of Limited Access Privilege Programs in Mixed-Use Fisheries. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26186.
×

recommendations for the knowledge base and other matters are aimed at improving a management system that in many respects appears to be working well.

The committee makes a series of recommendations designed to address the economic, social, and ecological impacts for the LAPPs reviewed in this report, as well as for any future use of LAPPs in mixed-use fisheries. While the recommendations pertain specifically to LAPPs in mixed-use fisheries, many of the recommendations are also applicable to LAPPs in single-sector fisheries. In addition to specific policy recommendations pertaining to best practices, the committee also provides recommendations for how additional data, research, or syntheses of existing research could enhance the decision-making capacity of NMFS and the Councils when designing, establishing, or maintaining a LAPP in a mixed-use fishery.

Suggested Citation:"Executive Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. The Use of Limited Access Privilege Programs in Mixed-Use Fisheries. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26186.
×
Page 1
Suggested Citation:"Executive Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. The Use of Limited Access Privilege Programs in Mixed-Use Fisheries. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26186.
×
Page 2
Next: Summary »
The Use of Limited Access Privilege Programs in Mixed-Use Fisheries Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $50.00 Buy Ebook | $40.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

A central goal of U.S. fisheries management is to control the exploitation of fish populations so that fisheries remain biologically productive, economically valuable, and socially equitable. Although the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act led to many improvements, a number of fish populations remained overfished and some fisheries were considered economically inefficient. In response, Congress amended the Act in 2006 to allow additional management approaches, including Limited Access Privilege Programs (LAPPs) in which individuals receive a permit to harvest a defined portion of the total allowable catch for a particular fish stock.

This report examines the impacts of LAPPs on mixed-use fisheries, defined as fisheries where recreational, charter, and commercial fishing sectors target the same species or stocks. The report offers recommendations for NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Regional Fishery Management Councils (the Councils) who oversee and manage federally regulated fisheries. For each of the five mixed-use fisheries included in the report, the committee examined available fisheries data and analyses and collected testimony from fishery participants, relevant Councils, and NMFS regional experts through a series of public meetings.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!