Property Rights and Recreational Fishing: never the twain shall meet?

McMurran, J.

Ministry of Fisheries

2000

Ministry of Fisheries

www.fish.govt.nz

New Zealand’s experience following the 1986 introduction of the quota management system (QMS) to manage major commercial fisheries illustrates that when designing a rights based fisheries management system, it is advisable to consider the rights of all sectors from the start. Rather than focusing purely on the commercial sector, consideration also needs to be given to how the rights of others in shared fisheries (e.g. indigenous and recreational fishers) should be specified and provided for.

The focus of this paper is on the nature of the work now underway in New Zealand to better specify and, in so doing, strengthen the rights of the recreational fishers. As well as improving fisheries management generally, the work is designed to improve the quality of recreational fishing and enable recreational fishers to play a greater role in the management of recreational fishing.

From a fisheries management perspective, the current lack of specificity as to what the recreational and commercial share of the available catch should be creates incentives for each harvest group to focus on increasing their share at the other’s expense. The potential to work together to enhance yields in shared fisheries so all can benefit is often lost sight of. As such there are potential fisheries management benefits in shared fisheries that all fishers, and the nation, are missing out on.

Keywords:

Fishing, Propert rights, River, Lake, Fish

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July 11, 2012