Management of the 4WX Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus) Fishery: An Evaluation of Recent Events

Abstract

The Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) fishery of the Scotian Shelf and Bay of Fundy regions of Canada (NAFO Divisions 4W and 4X) is pursued with multiple gear types including traps, gill nets and purse seines, which have evolved in importance over time with changing market emphasis. It was one of the first commercial fisheries to be regulated by limited entry (since 1970), and in 1972 it was the first to come under nationally allocated annual total allowable catch (TAC) limits. In 1976 an individual vessel quota scheme for purse seiners was established and operated jointly by the regulator and the harvesting sector. That initiative formed the basis of the 1983 10-Year Management Plan for 4WX herring that is reviewed and evaluated in this paper. The Plan, while not expressly achieving its original goals, and not fully realizing the implicit benefits of an individual transferable quota (ITQ) system, has contributed to the continuation of consensus management of this, the only large Atlantic herring fishery which has not suffered a major collapse. The development of successful management plans in the future must deal explicitly with ongoing problems of unstable markets for herring products and under-reporting of catches.