This document summarizes fishermen's responses to different management options for recovering North Sea cod stocks. It describes 4 options: 1) continuing the current management plan; 2) mixed fishery catch quotas reduced across species; 3) individual vessel catch quotas set at single-species levels; 4) an effort-based system with fishing credits allocated to each vessel. Fishermen expressed concerns about quota levels and reducing catches under all options. Option 3 was seen as the least preferred since a single exceeded quota would require vessels to stop fishing. Enforcement was viewed as easiest under the current system but effects on costs, discards and adapting to controls varied between options.

1. North Sea Cod Recovery:
A look at management options
John Powell
Countryside and Community Research Institute

2. Aims of the project
• Explore a range of
alternative management
options for fisheries
management
• Describe the effects of
different approaches to
managing mixed fisheries
• Describe impact on
operation of fishing vessels
• Describe fishermen’s
perceptions of the options

3. Sample Characteristics
• 19 useable responses
• All operate in the North
Sea, 4 in WoS, 2 in E.
Channel, 4 in other areas.
• Majority using demersal
trawl
• 12 targeting Cod
• Cod quota ranges 0 – 500
tonnes. Only 4 have quota
>100t
• 10 have Haddock quota
>100t

4. Species Targeted

5. Management Approaches:
Description
1
• Continue the current
management plan (landing
TACs, effort controls)
• Simplified derogations for
fleets reducing cod catch
3
• Individual vessel/business
catch quotas set at single
species level
• Vessel must tie up once
any single quota is
exhausted
2 quotas
• Mixed fishery catch
reduced to match across
species
• In-year increases if Cod
catches kept below limit
4
• Effort based real-time
incentives
• Each vessel allocated
‘fishing credits’

7. Management Option 1: Effects

8. Management Option 1:
Financial impacts

9. Management Option 1:
Problems & Benefits
“There are no
benefits”
“High catching Cod
vessels have invested in
Cod quota to cover
catches, work large mesh
sizes and have little
discards”
I would prefer this as
I still hold enough
quota to fish”
“Still a bit of flexibility”
“Even when targeting other
species Cod are unavoidable...and
I am fed up with any system
which makes me throw away good
fish...”
“Leasing costs are a major issue if
you can access the quota...last 8
months of the year is a killer, high
lease costs, closing species, no
profit”
“Possible cut in days at sea”
“Quotas need to increase to
realistic level”
“Too much Cod in the North Sea”

11. Management Option 2: Effects

12. Management Option 2:
financial impact

13. Management Option 2:
Problems & Benefits
“It’s still very
much a nonprofit scenario”
“Leasing costs
should decrease”
“Banking and
borrowing is a
good idea”
“None”
“Sea is full of fish, reducing
quotas is main problem”
“With quota levels low on any
species one good haul can put our
year’s fishing in jeopardy”
Keeping Cod quota artificially low
does not work and results in high
discards of both maturae and
juvenile Cod”
“It is impossible to reduce the
North Sea to a negative discard
fishery as long as quotas exist”
“Reducing catch possibilities”

15. Management Option 3

16. Management Option 3:
financial impact

17. Management Option 3:
Problems & Benefits
“CCTV is very good on
reducing Cod discards
and making the skipper
think where to fish and
with what size”
“Vessels with high quota will
be able to fish as they should
those that have no quota will
have to stop fishing sooner”
“Reducing discards and
getting extra quota in
long term will reduce
leasing costs”
“Banking and borrowing
with 15% limit”
“I cannot take all my quota”
“It’s impossible to fish and avoid
Cod due to their abundance”
“Will not work because the small
quota on Whiting would stop you
fishing within weeks”
“Unworkable – impossible to stop
fishing when one species is
caught”
“There has always been a
dominant species, - trying to
regulate the fishery on one species
will always result in abuse and
discards of the dominant species”

19. Management Option 4

20. Management Option 4:
financial impact

21. Management Option 4:
Problems & Benefits
“None for larger vessels”
“If a vessel stopped for too long we
would lose men to other industries.”
“If done correctly could be a
way forward, fishing
becoming a part-time job
with full-time expenses”
“Appears to be the best – but still a big
question mark – some boats get bigger
credits than others – how do you pay the
banks when you have been tied up for 6
months?”
“It might stop discards”
“Free for all for a limited
time, making everyone
equal, and doing away with
quota leasing system”
“Less regulations than
the current system”
“Deciding the areas – making a complex
job even more so - policing”
“Would probably be tied up too long”
“No fishing for the market”
“Easy to shaft the fleet again because we
will never get enough credits”
“..increased costs are not of our
making”

22. Management options: ease of
enforcement
Management
option
Very easy
Easy
Difficult
Very
difficult
Option 1
1
8
3
1
Option 2
0
4
6
3
Option 3
4
2
2
4
Option 4
3
3
4
2

23. Perceptions of impacts
Activity
Harder
No different/easier
Fishing effort
> Half say 3 and 4 is harder
25% say all Options are
easier
Controlling costs
Options 2 and 3 appear more
negative
Option 4 has fewer negative
responses
Controlling quota
For Cod 2 & 3 appears more
negative
Option 1 appears easiest for
other species
Reducing discards
For Cod and other species
Options 2&3 appear more
negative
For Cod and other species
Option 1 no different
Using my knowledge
Options 2 & 3 more negative
Fishing safely
Adapting effort to controls
Majority saying no
difference under all Options
Option 3 has most negative
responses
Majority saying no
difference under all Options

24. Overall impressions
• Option 3 seems
least preferred
• Strong focus on
quota issues – if
you have quota
there are fewer
problems
• Option 4 – more
uncertainty – but
has potential
• Financial impacts more negative on
Option 3 – more uncertain for Option 4
• Enforcement – easiest for Option 1,
hardest for Option 2, less certain for 3
&4

25. Overall impressions...
• Options range from the
known and familiar to
the unknown...
• Small sample size
• Major focus on quota
and perception of Cod
abundance
• Support for CCTV and
banking/borrowing
• Leasing Cod quota
imposes high costs